Rewritten Fate
by LiGhTdARk-GiRlz
Summary: [On Hiatus until May 2018] Kouka was in chaos, things had turned horrible and Yona failed to save it. The once great empire had turned into ruins, destroyed to the ground... just like Yona's heart. In the brink of her death, she wished to have another chance, to do it over again... And another chance was what she got. Timetravel!Fic, slight AU, RnR, please!
1. Chapter 1

**Edited : 8/13/2016 –I did some grammar editing, not sure if it was good enough or not, though. Nothing was changed, I only edited the grammar here and there.**

 **Hello there~ Long time no see~ XD**

 **I know I haven't updated my other story, I'm in an author's block. SO... maybe I need to wait a little bit more... I'm really sorry! .**

 **I suddenly found myself fall in love with AnY! I couldn't resist to write a fanfic. There is also one fic that I really fall in love with, It is "Fleeting Chances" by xAoshiki. It gave me so much inspiration~ X3**

 **If you haven't checked that story out, I suggest you to read that! XD**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story~**

 **Disclaimer : AnY is not mine in anything, I only own this fic's plot~**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **PROLOGUE**

* * *

Kouka had gone, destroyed by them, the army of Kai Empire... Kouka Kingdom, the once great and proud empire had been reduced to nothing but dust...

This was all started by a single miscalculation in Soo-Won's part. They had never thought that Kai Empire had been plotting a surprise attack since the day Kouka defeated them all along. By the time it had happened, Kouka was too vulnerable to defend, even though the five tribes had been reunited. Kouka's strength at the time was too pale in comparison with Kai's full attack.

Seeing Kouka fallen apart broke Yona's heart and soul. No matter what happened, Kouka was and still is her home. She loved Kouka, the kingdom that was once ruled by her father, Emperor Il. She couldn't stand and watch Kouka being burned down. Taking up a sword, she went to the front line, joining those soldiers who were fighting for life.

But she forgot that she was not alone. She forgot that she was accompanied by her friends. She was too furious to realize that she was being reckless. She charged ahead without even thinking of the consequences. Her head was only full of destroying the enemy. Her friends didn't tell her to stop and didn't even let out any protest. They just did what she asked them to do. And because of that, she could not stop it when they fell one by one, either shielding her from enemy's attack or being ambushed in the front line.

When she snapped out of it, it had been too late. She had lost her friends due to her selfishness. Hak, Yoon, Kija, Shin-Ah, Jae-Ha... Even Zeno had not come back to her side... Every single one of them left her with a smile.

 _"Don't look so sad, Princess; I'm not going to die. This battle won't kill me that easily"_ was what Hak said before he set on ambushing the enemy. But he never came back. **Never**. Her only hope for him to still be alive was crushed to pieces when she found his cold body months later...

She didn't even know how to cry anymore. Her tears had dried up when the first time nobody came back to her side at the promised time. By the time she found Hak's body, she couldn't shed any tears anymore. It's just that, logically, she already knew he had gone but her heart kept screaming for her to still have some belief in him. And when she found this out, it was merely a proof that her heart was wrong all along.

She could only stare at that cold body with lifeless eyes. And she went away without even giving a second glance toward it, for Hak had gone, and that body is merely a corpse which could do nothing. It wouldn't calm her down, or even reassured her that everything was a lie. It would do absolutely nothing. She was now alone in this cruel world, struggling to keep living in this harsh reality, living in regret. She had failed to save everyone, from those who dear to her till her own home...

Without anywhere else to go, she travelled alone across the kingdom, wandering around. Her first stop was at Fuuga, the capital of Wind Tribe. She thought that maybe she could ask Mundok for some advices, but what she saw makes her heart freeze. She found Mundok already in the brink of death, lying on his own blood. She desperately tried to save him, but all he did was giving her a sad smile and apologized before letting out his last breath.

It was like a dagger in her heart. She felt guilt creep inside; she had failed Mundok, in every way. Not only she sent Hak to his own grave, she couldn't even save Mundok, someone who was really dear to her, someone who she had considered as her own grandfather. She wanted to make a grave for him, but as the war took place, she didn't have the luxury to even dig a grave. There were so many soldiers in every corner. The only thing she could do was to run away, leaving Mundok's corpse there.

She roamed again, to the Earth Tribe. There she saw Geun-Tae holding his covered-in-blood wife tightly, tears streaming down from his eyes. She didn't need to be a genius to know what had happened. Because honestly, what could make that strong general to cry like that unless he lost someone who was part of his soul? She didn't have the heart to go closer, because she herself didn't fare any better. So once again, she set herself out, wandered to other place.

At last, she had arrived at Kuuto, the capital of Kouka. She didn't remember the last time she set a foot on Kuuto anymore. It had been quite some time and the war makes everything worse. Now, she didn't even know what Kuuto looked like before the war, because right now, it's just ruins here and there. She wandered into the street, walked down the corner but she didn't come across Kyo-Ga, or Tae-Jun. She didn't know what had become of Joo-Doh. However, after a few days wandering there, finally, she met with Soo-Won, who was injured, but not as fatally as the others, hiding in a narrow alley.

Despite the fact that he had killed her father, despite the fact that she still hated him... Right now, he was the only one that she had left. She wanted to fight with him and told him so, but he rejected the idea. Instead, he entrusted Yona with his last wish, to see Kouka become the once beautiful empire it was, before smiling while handing one of his swords to her and disappeared to who knows where... leaving Yona all alone again.

She had no choice anymore. The only thing that she could do was to fight and kill as many enemy as she could with her own hands while keep staying alive as long as she could too. With a new determination, she set off again, fending off those enemies with only a sword left by Soo-Won.

She became one of those anonymous solo fighters, those who fight for Kouka in shadow while wandering around. She met a lot of anonymous fighters, got a chance to know them a little bit, but never once did she get too close to them, as she still carried the guilt from before. Those people soon became her comrades, who fought with her side by side, who she entrusted her back to. As time passed, their bonds became tighter and tighter, and unconsciously, Yona had considered them one of her precious people.

It had been months, and then it changed into years... That war experience had changed her. She was not the old happy and bright Yona anymore. Now, she was the calculated and cold war veteran. She had forgotten the happy life she had once lived in. All that she cared right now was how to end this war. Even if she couldn't fulfilled Soo-Won's wish, at the very least, she wanted to see the day Kouka free from war again. That was her only motivation to keep fighting, the only thing that made those entire fighters raising their sword.

But alas, even that small wish couldn't be granted, for she was only a mortal, a being that had no sort of power such as granting a wish. Tired from endless war, she found that she couldn't go on anymore, as all her energy had dried up. One by one, her comrades had also fallen down. At last, from those many fighters, now only six of them were still standing in the battlefield, including her. Against so many soldiers, a thing like that was bound to happen. She was just surprised that it took a little longer than a few months for Kai's army to corner them.

She still remembered the last night she spent with them, the other fighters; hearing them sharing about their life experiences, their hopes, hearing them laughing… _"You should enjoy your life, Yona! In the frontline like this, you never know when will be your turn to be called away by the shinigami!"_ That was what one of her comrades told her. Everybody knew it, because at the battlefield, anything could happen. You could be laughing one second and lying in a pool of darkness the next moment.

With the other five fighters, she fought till her last drop of blood and she died in the middle of battlefield like a noble soldier did. Even if her comrades saw her fell, they couldn't do anything, for they were also engaged in their own battle. She did hear a faint yell from her comrades, furiously commanding her to stand up and don't go sleeping in the battle… she was grateful to ever knowing them, thankful for their support all these years. She also felt sadness coming inside her heart as she would left them all alone behind; knowing how lonely it would be when you were being left, since she had experienced it herself.

Suddenly, she remembered about Zeno. Zeno was supposed to be an immortal being, which meant that all of this time, Zeno should still be living all alone; maybe he was also been fighting for Kouka's sake. Now, she was going to left him all alone again.

She had many regrets and guilt. As darkness consumed her, she could felt a slight pain from her head, a faint voice inside her mind, but at that time, she was too tired to figure it out. She brushed it off as a normal occurrence for someone who was dying. There was only one thought that across her mind. _'_ _If only I can redo it... If only I have another chance... Because really… I… don't want to die… yet…'_

* * *

She opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar place. She thought that this was heaven, but then she saw herself being reduced to a baby. She changed her mind. It seemed like she was being reincarnate, something that she didn't know whether to be grateful or not.

She didn't understand why she still retained the memory from her previous life. Surely, the gods weren't that cruel to make her carried those memories, right? But then again, why would she still remember clearly what her name was and what had happened?

However, when she got a chance to see the outside world, she suddenly got a few suspicions, her instinct told her that she was being thrown back to the past. It was a crazy assumption, but she couldn't deny the fact that the surrounding was too similar with her previous life. It was all confirmed when she met her Father, again.

When she met him again, who was still healthy and in one piece, she could not help but broke down, crying her heart out. Because the last time she saw her father was when she had that argument about Soo-Won, and the last time she saw her father's body, he was already not breathing anymore. Right now, she was nothing but just a baby, she could not tell him how much she love him, how much she had missed him.

That was also when she realized, that indeed, she had been thrown back to the past. She found out that everything was exactly the same; from her the castle gate till the garden inside, even the flowers in it. How could that happen, she has no idea. She didn't know whether to be grateful or to be depressed by this, but at the very least, she got another chance to redo all of her mistake; as a child, as a princess, as a friend... she vowed to correct all of them.

She had also met a young Min-Soo, who at that time was only a new servant. She shuddered when she recalled the last time she saw him back in her previous life, or maybe the future... Min-Soo always protected her in any way he can. He was the only one that remained on her side when everyone other than Hak, betrayed her. She was really grateful for his presence here. It was really calming her racing heart.

Then she saw Joo-Doh. He was still the same. It seems that no matter how old, his face would always accompanied by scowls. It was really weird, how could he manage to scowl despite whatever the situation was good or bad? She didn't exactly have a good opinion about him, for he has betrayed her and her father, but regardless of anything that had happened before, she must try to at least stay neutral with him. If not, it would only raise a lot of unwanted questions later.

This time around, she decided not to maintain her old personalities. Even if she wanted to, she could not anymore, not with the war experience that she got and the experience of losing precious comrades, friends, loved one... This time, there wouldn't be a happy bright Yona anymore... This time, there would only a calm, strong and collected Yona. She could try to not be so cold, but smiling or even laughing might need a whole lot of work and time.

She chose to maintain her short hair, as short as boys' hair, so that it wouldn't get in her way. It gave her a sense of calmness, as it was the only physical way of telling her that she still had her unfinished duty. Starting two years old, every time her hair had grown a few centimetres, she would ask her parents to cut it again. But they always refused, and after a few attempts, the shortest hair that they agreed to was until her ears. ' _Well, there is another chance when she grows older, though...'_ she thought.

She also chose to wear a normal civilians' boy's clothes, saying that they were more comfortable for her, much to her parents' dismay. They had tried to force her wear high quality dresses, but she always refused and always found a way to change back to the boy's clothes.

Finally, both of her parents agreed to her wearing boy's clothes but with a condition that those clothes she wore need to show her status as someone from a royal lineage. She reluctantly agreed, but she never failed to reject any clothes that was too glamour for her taste.

It was by pure chance that her father thought of simple clothes like civilians' but using silk as the differentiation. She loved the idea since both parties would get what they wanted. Since then, she always wore clothes like that, and acts tomboyish; climbing here and there, running and sneaking into places, and so on.

A lot of people didn't like her attitudes, saying that even though she was not a princess, she still was a royal. Thus, she needed to act like one. But some people, especially servants, thought that Yona was really a humble child as she didn't act all cocky and arrogant with what her status could offer. In fact, Yona always helped her servant in any way she could, be it cooking or even washing dishes, or something else.

Of course the servants were afraid that they would get mad at by Yona's parents, however when dealing with a stubborn Yona, it seemed like getting blood out of rocks was even easier than making Yona listened to them. So, they all stopped caring about the consequences after a few weeks. Although her parents didn't happy about it, they also didn't do anything at all, especially when they saw Yona had that shining eyes whenever she learned to do something new.

Little did they know, the reason why Yona did that all was because that was the easiest way for her to obtain information regarding her kingdom. Servants tend to complain a lot about their problem, while soldiers tend to complain all about the military part. By mingle inside the lower status people, she could get so many information without the need to sneak out from the castle. She knew that one day, she would need to see it with her own eyes, but right now, she couldn't do that.

Starting two years old, she also started to force herself to read a lot of books, to get as much knowledge about her kingdom and its inside, even if it is boring as hell. She read all kinds of book, from fairy tale till history, all kinds of general knowledge, even books about medicine.

Of course, she tried to look like a normal child which happened to love books, not reading; because really, what kind of two years old child know how to read complicated books? Even reading simple books like children books was also impossible for someone who was only two years old. That's why she chose books which had a lot of pictures.

Sometimes she also pretended to draw doodles in the books if the books only have words inside. That doodles actually was her notes, but because her muscle was not strong enough, her handwriting looked like doodles.

People inside the castle never saw her without at least a book, and when reading she never stayed inside her room. She either climbed up the tree, which always gave the servants a heart attack, or lying down in the garden with her books.

Seeing her interest in books, her father never commented or asked about it, even if Yona took those books out from library and never put it back. All the books that she already took would be taken straight to her bedroom. Sometimes if her father needed them, he wouldn't search the library first, but instead, he would asked Yona whether she had taken those or not, since Yona's bedroom could already be considered as a mini library.

* * *

She was three years old when she met Soo-Won again. She was sitting on a bench in the garden, reading her favourite book; the story about King Hiryuu and the dragons. Suddenly, those familiar voices came to her hearing. _"Yona! Good Morning!"_ was what he said.

When she saw him, she was really shocked. She knew that this day would come, so as to the day when she would meet Hak again, but no preparation could make her to actually stay calm when it was happening. Meeting with her ex-crush, not to mention this time, he was still the carefree, pure and innocent Soo-Won... It was really hard for her... when the fact that the same person would be the one who murdered her Father kept getting inside her head.

She tried to maintain her poker face and decided to go back to her book, completely ignoring him. It seemed her ignorant attitude taken him back. He tried another approach, like asking what book that she was reading, or trying to take a glimpse on the book, which Yona skillfully hide from him. When she decided that she had had enough, she closed her book and went away from him. He asked where she was going. _"anywhere without you there"_ she answered coldly, which stopped his track completely. After that, he didn't follow her anymore.

She thought that her little stunt just now would make him never get close to her anymore. Little did she knew that it only sparked his curiosity even more and made him interested in Yona, like Yona was a really big messy puzzle that he needed to solve.

And then, Soo-Won became her constant companion. He came every day and would searched for Yona everywhere. At first, it was really a difficult task to track Yona down, but after a few weeks, he already knew a few spots that Yona never failed to go, such as a big old tree beside the gate and the castle's inner garden, which made Yona really annoyed, because her precious time was being taken away.

However, she didn't have any excuse to shoo him out, so she just let him came and ignored him all the way. Although she never payed any attention to him, he always tried to strike a conversation with her, which always failed. She never gave any response nor any indication that she heard him, but he always talked. Soon, he stopped asking her questions and chose to tell her story about his life or journey or anything that came to his mind. So far, he was the only talking one, though the occasional glance that Yona gave him assured him that at the very least, she didn't completely ignore him.

There was also times when Soo-Won chose to observe her and the surrounding, that he stayed silent instead of speaking. At those times, more often than not, Yona would found him already fall asleep beside her. She could not find in her heart to leave him alone, so in the end, she stayed beside him while reading books or just watching the cloud, an activity that learned from one of her previous comrades.

That person told her how nice it was to do cloud watching without any care to the world. At that time, she didn't know that feeling but now, she knew it is true. It is really nice to watch the cloud, drifting in the sky, without the fear that someone would suddenly come to tear your body apart. She had even make a habit to cloud watching whenever she had free time.

Soo-Won would wake up before the sun sets, although there were times when he would get a real long nap that needed her to wake him up since the sun already set. He would wake up with his sleepy face and became really sheepish soon. Those attitudes always made Yona's stoic face almost fall apart. And that was how her days go by.

* * *

It was a few months later that she met with this young Hak. It was a pure coincidence that she strolled to the meeting room, and that day there was a meeting between her Grandfather, who was the current Kouka's emperor Emperor Joo-Nam, with the five tribes' leader. It seemed like somehow Mundok dragged Hak to come along and that was how they met.

As soon as she saw him, the first thing that she did is freezing up. She didn't prepare at all for his arrival. She didn't remember when she met him in her previous life but she thought that it wouldn't be this soon. It had been only a few months after meeting Soo-Won, and Soo-Won was her cousin for goodness' sake!

That was why, when that happened, she did the only thing that she was really good at doing; to run away. Of course her action surprised Hak, since he never met someone who would run away at the first sight of him. Not to mention, at that time, he thought that Yona was a pretty boy, seeing her clothes and such.

Yona didn't give a damn about what Hak would think about her later. Her only mind was focusing on staying as far away as she could from Hak. She didn't know why, but inside her heart, it was hurting... she had always felt the pain whenever she thought of Hak, but now, seeing him in flesh was even more painful.

Even though she should had been happy, that now Hak was still breathing, alive in this world… she couldn't help but to think that this Hak was not the Hak before, not the Hak who was protecting her inside and outside castle, who gave her a reason to keep alive, who had never betrayed her. This Hak was not her Hak, and knowing that gave her so much pain. She knew she was selfish, but still... a small part of her always longed for the day she could be with her friends again, even if it's merely an impossible dream.

That day, she stayed inside her chamber, refusing to get out, even as far as locking the door and window. Her sudden action made all people in the castle worried. The castle was in jeopardize, and she could heard rumours about how Hak had scared her or even did something to her, starting to travel from mouth to mouth.

She could faintly heard Mundok and Hak's argument outside, but she could care less about that. That day, she cried her heart out, for that would be the last time she shed any remaining tears for her Hak, until she fell asleep.

* * *

She didn't get out for days, which made people even more frantic. She ate a little, and never allowed anyone to step inside her chamber, not even her parents. Soo-Won tried to pursue her, but as usual, she ignored him. After three days, people seemed to get the message that she wanted to be left alone. Even though they were a little uneasy, they still respected her space.

It was five days later that Hak came. _"I don't know what had happened, Yona-sama, and I don't know what I did for you to be like this, but whatever it was, I apologize. If there is anything I could do to make you feel better, do tell me. I'll try to make it up to you."_ He said.

Right there, she wanted to scream out whatever inside her heart, but she knew she could not. It will only serve as a trouble. She choked back a sob, desperately trying to hold back her tears.

However, Hak was clueless as to what happened inside. He waited for any answer, but none was coming. A slight sob coming out for a moment and he thought that maybe his presence was what made her uneasy.

" _I'm sorry if I scared you. I'll leave now."_ And then he walked away slowly as if waiting for her to come out. As he walked farther and farther, there was no sign of her coming out. He only let a sigh out and was going to go back to where Mundok was, before he heard a slight crack. He turned around and sure enough, Yona was opening the door a little, only enough to look at her small eye.

" _I don't mind you here."_ She told him. And that was all she really told him before she closed the door again. Although she only told him that short statement, that single sentence already gave him so much relieves, for it seemed like, all these things was just a misunderstanding.

Two weeks later, Yona had finally overcome her break down stage. However, every time people asked her, she would shut her lips tightly. No one knew why, and people was curious, not exception Soo-Won. He might only know Yona for only a few months but he knew that Yona never shared her secret. Forcing her to spill it would only anger her more.

He wanted to know so that he could help her but he also respected her privacy. As he learned more about Yona, he felt like Yona was similar to him in more than one way. So, he would help her from other little things as much as he could. For example, trying to ease the tension between Yona and a certain kid.

* * *

She didn't know how Soo-Won and Hak could meet or how they could become friends. She only knew that somehow Soo-Won managed to drag Hak to accompany her. Again, She didn't have a reason to shoo Hak out, so she reluctantly let him in. She did what she always did, reading books while ignoring Hak and Soo-Won. At least, now Soo-Won had someone to talk to, instead of talking by himself till he fell asleep.

Both of them would never failed to show up at her private space, whether it was at her favourite tree or at the inner garden or even the library. Whenever they came to the castle, it seemed that it has become their habit to track her down. They would accompany her for the day till the sun sets or even as long as they stay there.

Sometimes they would chat; sometimes they would also join her to watch the cloud. They didn't know why she did it, but they never voiced that question, until one day, Soo-Won asked her himself. _"Why do you like to watch the cloud?"_

It was a simple question, one that he never expected any answer since Yona never did it anyway. It's just he was really curious as to why. Actually, there were so many why about Yona. Like why she liked to act like a boy, or why she always so quiet and cold, why and why and why... there was a never ending whys.

That's why he was surprised when he heard Yona's small voice. _"Because when you can watch the clouds, it means at the very least, your life is bearable."_ That's Yona's first answer from all the time Soo-Won had been with her. The answer itself was puzzling, for that was a half-truth half-lie in Yona's part, but Soo-Won didn't really care.

What he cared the most was that finally, Yona was opening herself up to him, and knowing that, gave him the most happiness in his whole life. Even if it was only a sentence, at least he felt like Yona was starting to have some trust in him. And that made him so happy.

He had always admired Yona. Yona might not knew it, but there was times when he found Yona helping the servants or did the gardening herself. Seeing her humble attitudes made him really admired her. Even without any spoken word, she could show how much she cared about other people.

Servants could even share their hardship or worries, complains, or anything to her without being scared that she might told her parents, since she never did so. She might not offered a solution, but she always found ways to cheer them up, such as patting their head, giving them flowers, or drawing pictures... true, it was only a small gesture, but even that small gesture was enough to warm people's heart.

Soo-Won really admired that. He tried to be like Yona, and he wanted to learn more about Yona. It had been only a few months since they met, but he already set Yona as his role model. He knew that Yona was much younger than him, but sometimes, Yona's gaze felt older than how she appear to be. His gut was telling him to earn her trust; that he should never made an enemy out of her. That was why he kept trying, every single day, to earn the trust of his self-proclaimed sister.

And so, the peaceful day passed with the three of them together, until the day she finally hit four years old.

* * *

 _ **To be continued**_

* * *

 **And... CUT!**

 **There you go! I hope you like it so far. I try to make other characters to not as OOC as I can. There might also a lot of grammar errors. I've tried my best in checking it, but I'm not that good in grammar part… so, yeah… .**

 **Oh, and I've also publish this story in wattpad under the same title but the writing style is completely different. It's not I who write that though. It's** _ **lynrhyne**_ **who write that. We do some kind of collaboration in doing this fic, with me doing the shorter version and she do the longer version. I don't know who will finish first, but my own is already farther that hers though. If you have time, you can checked hers out on wattpad~ :D**

 **Review, please, minna~ I will appreciate any comment, critique, correction, or other ideas from you, readers! So, don't forget to review after you read this chapter! XD**

 **See you again~**

 **Ld-G**


	2. Chapter 2

**Edited : 8/13/2016 –I did some grammar editing, not sure if it was good enough or not, though. Nothing was changed, I only edited the grammar here and there.**

 ***peak out from a wall* H-hello, dear readers... It's been long, isn't it? Hehe... *gulps***

 **Sorry for the super late update... Both I and my partner has been busy and such, but she is still able to update hers while I... (._.)**

 **Oh anyway, let's just move on the story, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer : Akatsuki no Yona is not mine, I only own my plot.**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **ASSASINATION ARC**

-PART 1-

* * *

Four years had gone by... Twelve years to go till the day it changed Yona's life completely. It made her shuddered as she realized how fast time flew. One moment she was a helpless baby that couldn't even support herself, and the next moment, she had grown to be a child. It might sound weird when she said that about herself, but maybe because she had stopped caring for her lack of strength body, time didn't feel as slow as it used to be. She had tried to enjoy the peaceful life that the little time had offered her and tried to forget that painful life. She had succeeded a little in drifting her mind into the present life, but all that effort crumbled one day.

* * *

It was another cold autumn day in Kouka Kingdom. It would be winter in another one week or so, thus the weather had become colder. As usual, Yona was laying on her back, watching the clouds drifting slowly in the sky. There were neither Soo-won nor Hak on the sight; there was only Yona alone there. It was quiet… the only sounds that she heard were the sounds of her breathing and the birds chirping.

Yona enjoyed the silence that had rarely occurred since Little Soo-won and Hak came to intrude her life. She really enjoyed it, really did… but… she couldn't help but felt a little lonely. She didn't want to admit it, but Soo-won and Hak's presence made her feel better and warmer, especially Hak's. It had been a long time since the last time she spent her day with him, it had been even longer since the last time the three of them laughed together. The truth was… she missed it, those time when they were happy without care to the world.

She closed her eyes, recalling the past beautiful memories. The three of them laughing together… or those times when she spent with the happy hungry bunch… those precious memories were her treasures; even the most expensive jewels were no match to them. She knew that she could easily relived those beautiful events again, but she was afraid of the cost, afraid that she would once again lose her precious one, afraid that those entire nightmares would eventually happened once again. She might be able to face it once, but twice? She might as well go die and vanished from this world.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes. She could feel that her eyes had become moist, that the tears were threatened to fall from the corner of her eyes. She had promised herself not to cry. However, at times like this, when she was all alone and had absolutely nothing to do, her mind liked to wander back to her old life. And she let it… she let herself lost into the sea of bittersweet memories. Unconsciously, she let the tears fall down, one by one, from the corner of her eyes to the ground beneath her. She didn't make any effort to wipe it, or even to stop the tears. She just let them flow, quietly and continuously.

' _I'm all alone anyway, no one will see me this weak…'_ or so she thought. It had never crossed her mind that someone might actually be watching her from afar. She thought that since that damn cousin of hers was on his private time with the equal damn uncle of hers, nobody would disturb her. There was no way Little Hak would visit her when Soo-won was not around. She had also informed Min-soo that she wanted some time alone. Min-soo knew her well enough to not disturb her, so she was so sure that absolutely no one would come and found her in this shameful situation.

Oh boy, if only she knew how damn wrong she was… lost in her mind, she never realized that a pair of clear blue eyes were watching her closely.

As she let herself drown into those painful memories, a hand reached out to her face, slowly wiping those tears that fall down. That gesture jolted her out of her trance. Snapping her head, she widened her eyes. She felt like her heart suddenly stopped beating as she was greeted with those blue eyes that she loved so much. There, sitting beside her, was the last person she wanted to show any weakness to. The one and only Son Hak.

* * *

It was silent, neither was speaking. Both keep looking at each other. It felt like minutes before Yona break the eye contact and turn to the other side, giving her back to Hak. She wiped her tears as quickly as possible, a flush of embarrassment rose to her cheeks.

' _I was supposed to be alone, how come Hak is here?!'_ she thought furiously. She kept her position, not wanting to show her face to him as she was too embarrassed. 'He will tease me about it, and I'll never hear the end of it, I'm sure!' she hid her face behind her hand, and felt like she want to bury herself.

"What's wrong?" she heard him asking. But she kept quiet, didn't answer that question and kept giving him her back. It was a message of wanting to be alone, which she delivered in a silent letter. She kept waiting for him to leave, waiting and waiting, but instead of leaving, he stayed besides her, putting his hand on her hair and stroked it.

It was really soothing, the gentlest gesture that she had ever received from him. She didn't remember the last time her Hak did something as gentle as this, but it felt good. He patted her hair gently, each time playing a little with her short hair. Each stroke was calming her heart down.

' _Was Hak really this… gentle before?'_ she thought as she enjoyed it. It was silent, but not awkward. And she enjoyed it. If this was all a dream, then she would not want to be wake up. _'If only this dream could last forever…'_

"You know…" a little voice makes Yona cracked her eyes a little, "you are not alone. You have us… you have me… if there is anything troubling you, you can tell us… we will help you." She heard him speaking. Truthfully, she had considered telling him all about herself, because what could she do alone when she was nothing but a small child?

"At least, I will always be by your side, so rest assure… I won't leave you."

Her eyes snapped.

 **BA-DUMP**

Her heart started thumping loudly.

" _Don't look so sad, Princess; I'm not going to die. This battle won't kill me that easily"_

 **BA-DUMP**

She bit her lower lip. She remembered clearly what Hak's last word to her. A promise that he never fulfilled. _'You lied.'_ She clenched her fist. _'You never come back… you left me, all alone…'_

Quietly, she let out a sigh, letting another tear fell down once again.

' _No… you are wrong… I'm… all alone…'_

She closed her eyes. The hand that stroking her hair suddenly feels cold, not as soothing anymore, for her heart had frozen once again…

' _In this world… I'm all alone… I have… absolutely no one on my side…'_

That day, she closed her heart, not giving any opening for anyone.

Because she has a duty and a responsibility.

She couldn't afford to let herself enjoy this peaceful moment… that was a luxury that had never meant for her to reach.

* * *

She knew that she needed to prepare for the storm that had yet to come. She recalled the events that had occurred in her past life. It started from the day her grandfather King Joo-Nam chose her father as his successor, then her mother's assassination, after that… the so called death accident of her uncle, Uncle Yoo-Hong. Somehow, she felt like these three events were the starting point of all the disaster that would soon happened in her life.

She knew that she lacked of information, especially about these events. She couldn't recall when these event occurred for it happened ages ago, back into her childhood life. Too many things had happened in her previous life, far too many... it made her unable to remember all of it. There were also a lot of painful memories that she would rather forget about it.

Yona let out a heavy sigh. "How can I find information on something that has yet to happen?" she mumbled. She turned her head toward the opened window.

She gazed at the moon which shone brightly outside. The cold night wind blew slowly, causing her to shivered slightly. Gripping her haori, she leaned on the window sill. "What should I do…" she whispered. Four years had passed without her doing any meaningful things. She stared blankly on the space, at a loss of what she should do. She was never good in planning and making strategies, it's just not her forte. _'If Hak was in my position… I wonder what he would do…'_

She stretched out her hand to the sky, to where the moon was shining brightly. She clenched her fist, acting as if trying to catch the moon. But the moon was still up there, still shining brightly, as if mocking her despair. She gazed sadly at the moon and let out a heavy sigh. She retracted her hands, and turned around, staring at the empty bedroom. The place that she used to think not so big has suddenly become too big, giving her the feeling of emptiness and loneliness. She shook her head, inhale and exhale deeply for a few times, trying to get her bearing back. "Should I sort out the events?" she asked to no one particular as she walked to her table.

She took one of her journal and wrote down things that she had known.

' _Around this time, King Joo-Nam should be stepping down from the throne. As Grandfather descended the throne, Father will be appointed as the next king. Not long after Father ascended the throne, Mother will be assassinated. After that, it will be... Uncle Yoo-Hong's accident.'_

Yona stopped writing. She trilled her brush a little. "If I remember correctly, there was that time when Hak, Soo-won, and I go to the city. Hmm… that should be around this time too… but is it after uncle's death or before?" She furrowed a little.

"Hmm… Let's just put it before then..." she started writing again.

"So it should be… Mother being assassinated, I almost being kidnaped, Uncle's accident…" she nodded.

"There… this should be happening around the age of six." She put down her brush and stared at the notes again.

"But, the question is… should I or should I not let this happen?" She narrowed her eyes and bites her lower lips.

 _'What will happen if uncle become the king?'_

She gazed back at moon. She suddenly realized that it's snowing out there. Tighten her hold on her haori, she walked back to the window. She held her other hand out, trying to catch the falling snow. But the snow melted as soon as it came into contact with her hand. While seeing that process, her mind wandered around. One question kept lingering in her mind.

 _'Why did grandfather choose father instead of uncle…?'_

Watching the moon, she whispered to herself. "Maybe… it's time to confront Grandfather myself."

* * *

The first thing that Yona did was gathering information. In this unknown world, information was really valuable, whatever it is. If there was anything that she learnt from living in a war time, it would be that information was as much important as life itself.

With a single information, you could change someone's course of fate. Information could make you stayed alive, or it might killed you, as not every information was true. It was a daily practice for a tactician to spread a hoax, any fake information to trap their enemy.

Yona knew this all too well as she had done that plenty of times. Not to mention, there was also a few times she fell into enemy's trap because of the false information. Those times made her realize that nobody could be trusted except oneself. It was after all in human nature to save oneself when they are facing with danger. And she learnt it the hard way.

That was the reason why she kept sneaking and spying on the soldiers, as they offered a vast amount of free information. She might get something about military situation—

 **soldier A** : "man…, today is cold as well, wish that our shift can finish early"

 **soldier B** : "yea, want to go inside and get warm"

 **soldier C** : "ugh… one of these days, we'll freeze to death."

—or not.

She gave them a deadpanned look. "Soldiers nowadays are so weak that they'll die from guarding gate, huh?" she scowled while turning around and left her post. "wait until the time when you need to fight in the middle of freezing ocean. Whose ideas is it to spy on the soldiers?" she grumbled hotly as she stomped back inside.

She changed her plan into spying the servants. "Well, gossips are also information." she thought she would gather at least some information about the outside situation—

 **servant A** : "hey, hey! Have you heard?"

 **servant B** : "what is it?"

 **servant A** : "the neighbour town's barb is visiting the capital!"

 **servant C** : "For real?! That handsome one?! Oh my! I need to go to capital!"

 **servant B** : "we cannot lose this chance to meet him!"

 **servant C** : "KYAAA! I'm going to ask for his autograph!"

 **servant B** : "My god! What should I wear?! I don't have enough dress!"

 **servant A** : "We need to do shopping!"

 **servant C** : "Yea! Come on!"

—But the content was all useless… Yona let out a dejected sigh. "What the heck is going on with these workers…?"

So, her best bet was the Council Meeting—

 **Minister X** : "Your Majesty, I think we should import more rice from our neighbour kingdom, we don't have enough stock for the rest of winter."

 **King Joo-Nam** : "And how, pray tell, could the rice not enough when we have imported twice the usual amount in the early winter?"

 **Minister X** : "t-the consumption has increased, My Lord."

 **King Joo-Nam** : "I think you have known the fact that I despised liar and thieves."

 **Minister X** : "y-yes, my lord."

—which surprisingly not informative at all.

She looked up to the clear sky and grumbled. "The god hates me."

* * *

So far, she hadn't found anything useful and that made her really frustrated. She had been searching information for two whole months, but she was still empty handed. _'I, who was once one of the best spies Kouka have, cannot even find single information on my own territory? What a shame...'_ she huffed. Being able to find any information that she needed had always became a special pride that she had. That was one of the reason why she was both respected and feared in her old life, since she had the knowledge which was unknown to the others.

But now, not only that she had no information, she also didn't have any lead on this case. She had exhausted every single idea that she had. _'I already knew that this will be pointless. It is not possible to find information on something in the future, no matter how skilled someone is.'_ She huffed.

Still, she hoped that somehow, miraculously, she could get some information around the assassination. Surely those people, whoever did the assassination, would make a plan, a perfect strategy to kill the Queen.

She sighed again. It seemed like she had been sighing a lot lately. She also got headache a lot since she had been burning her brain in the past few months. Not to mention, this year's winter was really cold that it became harder to bear each day passed. It was hard to move around in this cold weather, it's also hard to sneak out from the servants. Min-soo was such a worrywart that it had gone passed tolerable.

"Ugh... I gave up..." she muttered. She let herself fall inelegantly on the ground full of snow. It was cold, but she could still handle it. She had gone through much colder days, one without a roof or a tent to block the cold wind, rain or even snow. Without anyone to hold her, to embrace and cradle her. She still remembered those feeling, the feeling of emptiness… the longing of feeling someone's heat.

It had been four years since she came back, but she couldn't just let go the past. She was afraid, afraid that if she let go the past, she would eventually forget it… afraid if she were to enjoy her life, she would forget about her purpose here. The guilt was what driven her to keep focusing on her task, because this was her responsibility as a princess… and as someone who already gone through this life once.

' _I cannot let them face the same future… I cannot let them undergo the same fate as I did… no matter what, I must protect them… even at the cost of my own life.'_

* * *

 **-To be continued-**

* * *

 **Okay... A little short, I know. But rest assure, the next part will be longer. And the good news is that I'm on my school break! So, I'll be able to update more frequent, let's say... every two weeks on Saturday or Sunday. :D**

 **Oh, and another news... Both I and my partner has decide that the wattpad version will only cover the first four years of Yona's life, which was told in the first chapter here. The rest will only be post in here, although, depends on the situation, we might post it on wattpad. But, till now, that is the decision that we take.**

 **By the way, Thank you for those who have review the first chapter! :D**

 **xAoshiki :** I didn't realize that the chapter is fast-paced, maybe because I intent to just summarize the events, so it ended up like that. Hope that this new chapter is better... :)

 **CJV :** I admit that it's really summarized... when I look back at it, I realize that the content lack too much details that should be told to readers. About the pacing, I have try to write a more slower one, though I'm not sure if I succeeded or not. (._.)

 **rothfyae :** this is the new update~ Hope you enjoy it~ ^^

 **Tenshi-Oujosama :** Thank you, hope that you enjoy it~ :D

 **AnimeHuntress :** Oh, thank you for your encouragement! XD Hope that you enjoy this new chapter!

 **Lenore is Lost in Dreamland :** this is the new update~ Hope you enjoy it~ ^^

 **Ishippedmyotp :** Thank you for your support! Regarding our canon pairing, hmm... well, you'll need to wait a bit more to see what's going to happen! ^^ Hope that you enjoy the new chapter! :D

 **Guest :** Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

 **yukiko Shirogane :** Thank you! this is the new update~ Hope you enjoy it~ ^^

 **Lunahras :** Thank you for you encouragement! :D I know my grammar sucks, as well as word usage... but I'd like to see how far my writing can improve, so I would like to keep this as how I write it for the time being. But, Thank you for your offer though! :D

 **jaz7 :** Thank you, hope that you enjoy it~ :D

 **Rizuki Dhan :** I'm glad that you like it, I hope that those characters are not OOC, since they are a little complicated to write, especially Soo-won... T.T Hope you enjoy it~ ^^

 **IonicAmalgam :** Oh, I know your feeling, it's like dream comes true, isn't it? . Oh well, let's see what will happen, shall we? *mischief*

 **animeniac2001 :** this is the new update~ Hope you enjoy it~ ^^

 **All right, don't forget to review, 'kay, readers~ Any comment, critique, or advice is welcome! :D**

 **Sorry if the chapter is not good enough for your liking! .**

 **See you on July 30th!**

 **Ciao~**

 ***Ld-G sign out***


	3. Chapter 3

**Edited : 8/13/2016 –I did some grammar editing, not sure if it was good enough or not, though. Nothing was changed, I only edited the grammar here and there.**

 **Hey readers~ Good day to you all! ^o^**

 **As I've promised before, here is the new update! I hope you enjoy it~**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Akatsuki no Yona.**

 **PS: I've few things to ask you, so please read the Author Note below, 'kay? :D**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **ASSASINATION ARC**

– PART 2 –

* * *

One day in the cold winter, Yona went to visit the library. She had grown tired of the books that she had borrowed before. She walked through the selves while thinking. _'It should be okay to read advanced book, right? I've reach four year old anyway…'_ Yona had been thinking of upgrading her reading material into much complicated things, like war education or political stuff or maybe Economic, even if she was not interested in such things. She had been learning about Kouka's history for the last two years and she doesn't think that she could stand anymore of that. She was going to puke soon.

"And then, I need to visit Gramps too… After all, I need to have a nice chat with him." She mumbled along the way. She thought back at how she first met him and their first talk.

* * *

 **-Flashback-**

* * *

She felt the need to take a walk. This castle was too suffocating. After years of staying away from the castle, this sudden _**rule**_ to stay inside it made her feel sick. There were mouths at every corner, eyes and ears on every wall... It was tiring _. 'How could I stay comfortably for the first 16 years of my life...? No wonder those people didn't like me. I was far too naive as a princess, too ignorant with this kingdom's affair...'_

She left her room quietly and strolled at the corridor. She enjoyed the little private time that she got; enjoying the cold night wind, the fresh air from outside. It has been quite a long time since the last time she stayed outside, sleeping under the roof of stars with only moonlight as her lamp.

Honestly, she was kind of missed that life. After all, it was because she had experienced such kind of hardship, she could grow into a fine strong woman. Otherwise, she would forever be a naive and spoiled princess. Now, there was no telling how long she would need to stay in the castle, but she assumed that she would stay there for at least 10 years or so... which was quite a long time.

She walked absentmindedly, passing doors and doors till she come across with a huge door. She blinked, _'What room is this?'_

The door was gigantic; maybe because she was this small, the door seems bigger than usual. But still, compared to the other doors, this door is different, both in size and pattern. It was like this is a special room.

She felt curious. Exploring the castle was her new hobby since she didn't have the _**sense**_ to do it in her previous life. Honestly, even though she had once live in the castle for 16 years, she couldn't say she knew this castle layout very well. Maybe because she was too focused in that damned cousin of hers, she became blinded in other aspect of her other than beauty. She could feel shame started to creep inside her mind.

 _'No, I shouldn't think of it anymore. Focus on now! Let bygone be bygone!'_ She slapped her own cheek. She looked again at the door. She took a deep breath before she opened the door cautiously and took a peek inside. And she was surprised with what she had found. _'Is this... a library?!'_

She walked inside; she was mesmerized with the size of library. Rows and rows of selves was organized. it seems like thousands of books are there. She walked slowly while keep glancing around. _'I had never knew that there was another library here. I thought... The only library was the one located beside the King's study room... guess I was wrong this whole time...'_

It was silent, but strangely, it was not dark. Not because of the moonlight, no. The lights were all on, like there was actually someone here. This small point made her internal alarm ringing. Unconsciously, she put her guard up, sharpening her hearing. She could hear footsteps coming near her, a close to silent footsteps.

Her instinct screamed at her, telling her to flee, but she knew there is no way she could survive in her small untrained body. Sweats were dropping, heart was beating, and her body was frozen in place... this was exactly what happened when she was still a weak woman. She gritted her teeth, anger was dwelling inside for her weakness.

The footsteps stopped behind her.

"What's the matter?"

Yona gasped. _'That voice...!'_ She turned around and true enough, she came face to face with the most feared person in entire Kouka, King Joo-Nam. _'G-grandfather...'_

She timidly looked at him. The king was old but his body was still healthy enough to still rule this kingdom. His eyes were full of wisdom, the eyes of those who had seen war. He was staring dagger at her, his gaze was so sharp that it could kill someone on spot.

Yona gulped a little. _'I had never ever thought that Grandfather's face is this stern. Seems like Uncle Yoo-Hong takes a lot from him, huh...'_

Both of them keep staring at each other silently, Kin Joo-Nam was waiting for her answer; Yona was too shocked to answer.

 _'Ugh... his gaze is even scarier than Uncle's... how am I going to be let off from this?! Arg! Screw the bad timing! Just when I thought I've found rare gems...'_

"Well?"

Yona put on her best poker face. Internally, she was actually really panic, didn't know what to do. As far as she remembered, she had never actually met her grandfather before, and thus, she didn't know him well enough to hold a conversation. Even if she knew, she couldn't just _**hold**_ a conversation with him, not when she was just a mere two years old child.

A few minutes passed again without any answer from Yona. The King seems not patient enough to wait any longer, so he turned around and started to walk away. Yona breathed out a relived sigh. _'Seems like grandfather has lost interest with me...'_ or so she thought...

"Come with me, Yona. Accompany this old man to drink a cup of tea, will you."

She had never realised that god was so cruel to her until she heard that line.

* * *

The afternoon wind blew gently, the clouds were drifting slowly on the sky. The sun was starting to go back home, as well as the little animals that were out searching for food. It was such a nice comfy weather, a really suitable time to relax. But it's all seems to have no effect to the occupants inside the living room.

 _'How nice it would be if I can watch the cloud outside...'_ Yona thought as she sadly looked at the orange sky _. 'Instead, I need to spend my precious time with_ _ **him**_ _...'_ she looked at the other occupant from the corner of her eyes, the almighty King Joo-Nam. The said man didn't even bother to look back at her, even though he obviously knew what Yona was doing. He kept drinking his tea with the absolute elegance that made Yona feel envy.

Unconsciously, she let out a tiny sigh, which didn't go unnoticed to the old king. She turned back to her warm tea and kept staring at it. They had been drinking tea for quite a while now, but the awkward atmosphere had yet to lessen. The silence between both of them didn't even help any better.

Honestly, she felt a little timid around this old king. She couldn't help it since he was the almighty emperor who she hadn't encountered before. She had absolutely no knowledge and no information regarding this so called emperor. Although, she would be lying if she said she didn't admire him, not when the said person had this unrivalled charisma. She could practically feel his strong aura, the aura of a veteran leader.

She didn't realize that she had zoned out for quite some time and only came back to the world of living after hearing a deep voice talking. "Staring at the tea will not make it gone." The King remarked. She blinked a few times before staring blankly at the old man in front of her.

"Ha...ha..." she forced out a half-hearted laugh before taking a sip. But as soon as she tasted it, she choked. _'It's so_ _ **BITTER**_ _!'_ She felt like crying, and already did internally. She forced herself to gulp it down before she really spit it out. The bitterness had even numbed her tongue; the taste was still lingering there. She eyed the tea with an utter horror. _'This taste even worse than any medicine that I've ever drinks before!'_

"How is the tea?" She heard the king asked. She stared blankly at him, hesitated to answer him, unsure of whether she needed to be honest or not. "It's...delicious...?" she answered, or more like questioning herself. But the king didn't comment it. Instead, he just nodded. Yona could practically see a gleam in his eyes.

"It's a tea from faraway." he said with a hint of amusement, making Yona's jaw almost falls off. _'Am I supposed to say anything there?!'_ She thought. It seemed like the old king also had a good humour sense. Not only that, like all old people ever existed in this world, they had ways to just make fun of their younger generation just for their own amusement.

 _'oh well, they have live their life for a long time... guess they just need a stress relief after walking those stressing journey... But even so! It doesn't give them any right to tease us like that!'_ she pouted. Suddenly, an image of a certain old general of the Earth Tribe with an annoying smirk flashed to her mind, making her more irritated than before.

"Yona." Her own thought was broken by a single call of her name. Startlingly, she looked at King Joo-Nam. "Y-yes?"

The king didn't resume the conversation. He looked long and hard on Yona, scrutinized her thoroughly. His piercing eyes made Yona feel naked, like he could see through her every little lie. It seemed like he is contemplating something.

"Who are you?"

That single question froze Yona.

"...pardon?"

Her heart was hammering and she could feel cold sweat starting to form on her head. She didn't take into account that her Grandfather would find her out. After all, she had worked really hard to conceal the fact that she was from future. _'Does he know?'_ she observed him cautiously.

"You are not Yona, are you?"

Even though he posed that as a question, it didn't exactly sound like one. It was more like stating a fact, firm and confident with every word that he let out. His stares were intensifying, daring her to contradict him.

"What... are you talking about, Grandfather?"

The king scoffed. "A two-year-old child cannot talk this fluently." he remarked sarcastically, which made Yona bite her bottom lips as a result of frustration. _'Of course. No normal two-year-old child can talk like I did. And to think that I doesn't even realize it!'_ she mentally scolded herself.

Seeing her gone quite, the king let out a deep sigh. "A normal child doesn't show this kind of maturity either, young one." he said, giving chills on Yona's body. Yona didn't dare to look at him at all, opting to staring at the floor.

 _'What now... he has caught me. I should have known that things won't go smoothly.'_ she mused. She pressed her lips into thin line, her forehead was adorned with frowns. _'Well... grandfather already through a lot, he has a vast experience in the battlefield...'_ she let out a big sigh. King Joo-Nam heard it, but didn't say anything. His gaze didn't leave Yona, even when Yona was busily musing there.

On the other hand, Yona was weighing the pros and cons of telling him her amazing story _. 'Telling him might make my life easier... but can I? And what part should I tell him? All of it? Or only the summary?'_ She was clearly distressed, as this is not an easy problem. She closed her eyes, replaying her past life which was not pretty in the least. _'But...'_ she opened her eyes again and turned her head up, looking straight at the source of her stress. Her eyes were meeting with expectant eyes.

"I'll be blunt then, grandfather. I don't trust you, and thus, I don't think I can tell you." she said firmly. She knew that she was being rude, what with this disobedience and all. But she couldn't tell him, couldn't tell her father or even anyone about her life journey. Because war made and shaped her into what she was right now, an individual who felt suspicious on anyone and cautious on anything. It wasn't that she liked to be distrustful toward the others, but she preferred to be safe than sorry. She just hoped that this old emperor would not be insulted with her show of distrust.

But it seems that her worries were all for nothing as the king just scoffed. "You think I haven't known that?" he rolled his eyes. "I already knew that you are a hard one, I was just gambling. It would be great if I get an answer. Though it wouldn't be a problem if I don't." he said with a deadpanned face.

Yona didn't even know how she should act. She just stared at him in disbelief. _'Is this how the supposed supreme emperor acts in his daily life?'_

She shook her head to clear her mind. "If that's all, then I'll excuse myself, Grandfather." she bowed, wanting to be out from the older one's sight as quickly as possible. But it seemed that indeed, today, the lady of fortune was not on her side.

"Let's have a match." the king stated, motioning for his servant to come. Yona could only give him a puzzling gaze.

"Huh?"

* * *

Her eyes watched the movement on the board in front her with annoyance. _'Why... Ougi match...'_ she could feel the headache coming to her once the old king set up an Ougi board for them to play. Apparently, the emperor's match meant a match of Ougi, not some kind of fighting match. They had played for around an hour now, but neither had won. Her grandfather had ended his move and so it was her turn again.

 _'This is ridiculous...'_ she thought while eyeing the board. She narrowed her eyes as she drew up a plan, taking into account the entire possible route. Truthfully, her grandfather was really a skilled player. She actually was no match to him. She only knew how to play Ougi because one of her past partner liked to play ougi and taught her, so that he had someone to play with. That didn't mean that she could play like a pro, though.

"Do you want to be a king?"

She jerked her head up at the sudden question, really bewildered. Her face gave out an incredulous expression. Soon she turned her eyes to the table again, ignoring the stare that she received from the other end. She ended her turn by picking up a piece and moves it. They were in an utter silence; the only sound was the sound of placing the ougi pieces.

The game was running smoothly, even too smooth for Yona's taste, and the favour was on Yona's side. It was not long before Yona saw her chance.

"Checkmate." she announced, while eyeing the king. The said king didn't give any indication of disappointment on his loss; rather, he looked like enjoying every moment of it.

 _'He went easy on me.'_ Yona scowled at him. _'It seems like the old geezer has known about my plan since the beginning.'_ she didn't like it when other people went easy on her, whatever reason it was. It was kind of insulting for her, and she utterly despised them.

"It's almost dinner time, grandfather. I'll need to excuse myself." She stood and bowed to him. Swiftly, she walked to the door without waiting for his agreement.

"Yona." she was on her way to open the door when he called her. She stopped herself, preparing to talk her way out should he want to stall her any longer. But what he said made her stop dead in her track.

"I grant you entries to the library. Take and read whatever you want."

She whipped around and looked at him with widened eyes. Shock was apparent on her face as she asked with a cracked voice. "Why?"

The emperor gave a quick glance at her before replying. "I feel like it."

She frowned, disbelief at his reasoning. But soon she felt lighter, and she let a chuckle out. "You are impossible." she shook her head while bearing a tiny smile.

The emperor eyes soften as he looked at Yona. In this moment, the aged man looked so much like her father, giving out the gaze of a really loving parent towards their child.

"So are you." he said.

She looks at him again with a thankful expression. _'I'm not going to lose this great opportunity then.'_ giving him a deep bow, she thanked him from her deepest heart. "Thank you, Grandfather." Her grandfather gave an acknowledgement with a nod.

"I'll be waiting for an answer." he continued. She blinked confusedly before she remembered that she had yet to give an answer for the previous question.

 _"Do you want to be a king?"_

She pursed her lips, looking kind of distraught.

"You may go." he said as he turned back to his tea.

"Excuse me, grandfather."

She bowed once again before leaving the room. Unbeknownst to her, her grandfather keep looking at her back as she went out. He let out a sigh, before taking a sip at his tea. He cringed at the coldness of the tea. Seems like the tea has long gone cold. He had been too occupied with his granddaughter that the tea was forgotten.

He eyed his tea sadly. _'What a waste... and it is such a good tea too...'_

* * *

Yona walked slowly along the hallway. From outside, she may not look any different than usual, but if someone were to observe her thoroughly, they would notice that she was actually in a deep thinking.

 _'He is really dangerous... too smart, too observant...'_ she thought as she replayed her previous ordeal. _'As expected of an old king. My cover was blown right away.'_

She was staring blankly at the hallway as she walking down the path to her chamber. Her body's auto-pilot system is being turn on, and it was walking on its own without her realizing it.

 _'It seems like I'm not a good actress. I caught off guard... no, I think I was letting my guard down. Or he just too observant for his own good.'_

She stopped on her track and started to focus on her surroundings. She realized that she had arrived at her destination. She let out a deep sigh _. 'This kind of event is not good for my own heart... not good at all...'_

She turned to look at the darkening sky as she leaned on the door.

 _'Do I want to be a king?'_

That was a question that she never dared to ask herself before. Not because she couldn't, but because she was scared, and still is scared to answer. In the past, she focused herself on ending the war. Now, she focused herself on preventing the war from happening.

 _'A king... it feels like a lame joke.'_

Because being a king was such a big responsibility that she was not ready to take.

 _'It's not even funny...'_

Because she didn't have the confidence to shoulder up that heavy burden which come along with sitting on that big chair.

 _'Just what are you up to, grandfather?'_

After all, her place was in the shadow. That was where she belonged.

* * *

 **-End of Flashback—**

* * *

It was such a strange encounter, but because of it, she managed to earn a free pass to the library. She might need to thank the old man for that though. That weird encounter was the beginning of their equally weird grandfather-granddaughter relationship. It was a strange relationship, since it didn't feel like the King put a status barrier with her. It felt as if they are on the same footing for he always treated her more like a friend rather than his granddaughter.

Not to mention, he was also different than how he appeared to be. Sometimes, it made Yona annoyed since he liked to play with words so much. But overall, they had quite a strong bond with each other. Maybe because they had spent a lot of time together, drinking tea and playing ougi, or maybe it's because both of them had gone through hardship, living in a wartime, that unconsciously they could understand each other even if they barely knew each other.

Yona let out a sigh. "Nope, I don't understand him. Not at all." She pouted a little, thinking back at all the times the old man teasing her or even playing around with her.

While she lost on her mind, she walked through the hallway. As she turned at the corner, she bumped into someone. "I'm sorry…" she said. She looked up to the person and froze a little. There stood the person that had been occupying her mind, King Joo-Nam. _'Oh, speak of the devil…'_ she sweat dropped.

"Oh, hey, Gramps…" she stuttered a little. this wasn't the first time both of them met, they had met so many times in the last two years in which she couldn't count with fingers anymore, but still… the feeling of timidness was still there. Maybe because his gaze was so sharp that it could kill someone on spot or because of his strong aura which made him fearful. Regardless of his old age, he was fairly healthy. His old age didn't seem to make him any less scary, especially at times like this.

"What's with that greeting, you brat?!" his voice was like a thunder to her ears, even the ground shook a little when he yelled like that.

"Ahaha…" she could only give a wry laugh. _'It's not my fault to be surprised when you suddenly come out like that, you damn geezer!'_ she fumed silently.

After that, he just turned back and walked away, leaving Yona speechless. He stopped when he realized Yona didn't move an inch. He gave her a side glance. "Should I keep repeating the same sentence every time we meet? Come have a tea with this old man, boy." He said while walking away.

Yona just let out a sigh. "There goes my plan to visit the library…" she sighed sullenly before tailing King Joo-Nam into his chamber. _'Why do I feel déjà vu all of a sudden…'_ she let out a wry smile.

This is basically how they exchanged greetings whenever they bumped into each other and how their meeting always occurred. They never purposely went to seek each other out and yet, they seemed to always cross path at least thrice a week. It might be because Yona liked to spy on the council meetings or because the King liked to take a walk in the garden. Whatever the reason was, they would bumped, greeted each other, then had a little chat while drinking tea and playing ougi. This, after all, was how their bond was created and maintained.

* * *

Somewhere far in the corner, Hak was watching all those greeting exchange. He couldn't hear them well since his position was too far to eavesdropped them, but he could see that both of them were quite close, which was really surprising. He was curious as to how the both of them could be that comfortable with each other.

' _Had something happened between both of them?'_

He narrowed his eyes as he watched them talking. Yona looked really relaxed when she was talking with the Emperor, something that had never occurred when she was with him or Soo-Won. A hint of sadness appeared inside those blue eyes of his. He turned around, then leaned on the wall, face full of agony.

"Hime-sama… You have become a stranger that I don't know… and I have no idea what to do…" his whisper was blown away by the strong wind, the only witness to his despair, which was drifting to who knows where.

He let out a deep sigh before smacking his own head to the wall. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. _'Get a grip, this is not the time to be playing around.'_ he peeked again at Yona and the Emperor. But he saw that they've gone. He got out from his hiding place and glanced around the area.

"Where the hell-"

Just as he wanted to curse, he spotted a mop of red her on the hallway. "Gotcha." He quickly tailed them, secretly and stealthily, to the Emperor's chamber.

* * *

"Checkmate."

Another vein was popped on Yona's head. She let out a growl as she looked at the smirking King, who was watching her with mirth in his eyes.

"You are a thousand years too young to beat me, brat." He proudly announced as he took a sip on his tea. The vein in Yona's head was popped even bigger. She was staring dagger at him while puffing her cheeks.

"One is allowed to make a dream, no?" she said while pouted. She was frustrated for she kept losing in this ougi games. Her grandfather was just too good on this game; he was way out of her league. The only time she really did won was when she first played with him. Now that she thought about it, he was obviously went easy on her. Otherwise, she would had zero chance on defeating him on her current level.

The old king snorted. "You and your words are getting deeper and deeper. Watch out, young one. Your mouth might be your source of trouble." He spoke in a low voice, half scolding half joking, though it really surprised Yona. She realized that she had been letting her guard down and down whenever she spent her time with the old king. Since King Joo-Nam had practically treated her like a friend, she kept forgetting that she had a role to play.

"I know." She pursed her lips, knowing that the old man had once again caught her.

He gave her an approving nod before he arranged the ougi board for them to play again. "What's on your agenda?" he asked.

"Training. I need to prepare for the worst." She answered while helping the Emperor arranging the board.

King Joo-Nam let a chuckle out. "Once word goes out, Il will not be pleased." He responded with a hint of amusement.

A bead of sweat started to form at Yona's head. "Maybe he will, when the hell freeze over." She grumbled as she rolls her eyes, resisting on banging her head in front of the King.

"And that'll take eternity." The king continued, which was welcomed with a dejected face from Yona. "True enough."

The board was now set once again. King Joo-Nam inclined his head a little toward the board, beckoning Yona to have the first move. Yona looked at the King with a hesitant gaze before she made her move. Soon, the game started again.

"How is the politics studying coming along?" her grandfather started bantering.

"Haven't started yet. I'm learning the necessary basic for me to survive. Like self-defence, cooking, medical… and history." The answer was laced with a hint of frustration, a scowl was plastering her smooth baby face, making her looking way older than how she appeared to be.

Surprisingly, the king also gave a disapproving look. He clicked his tongue and gave her a strong gaze. "You should learn how to be a tactician." He advised, still looking at her steadily. Yona only looked at him pointedly.

Honestly, his gaze was so strong that it could actually crumbled someone's confidence right away and yet, Yona didn't feel threatened, not anymore. Maybe because she had spent so much time together with him, that she had been immune to his _**Eyes**_ _**Power**_ _—_ as Yona like to call it for she had seen so many people become its victim.

At first, she felt quite frightened as well, but as she learnt more about her mighty grandfather, she realized that it was not intentional on his part, rather it was the way he looked at people. Because he was this kingdom's Emperor, he needed to show his strength, confidence and firmness in making decision and leading the people or else, people wouldn't acknowledged and respected him.

Though, even if she was not afraid of it anymore, it didn't mean that she respected him any less than before. In fact, the more she knew him, the deeper she respected him. How could someone not respecting a figure that was as amazing as King Joo-Nam? A really charismatic king, who was both strong and charming, who also had all the skills to back up his every word. She bet on her every penny that damn Soo-Won would also admired this amazing emperor, even more than his own father.

Back on the story, both of them stared at each other; the game was soon to be forgotten. Before long, Yona rolled her eyes. "I'm learning." She said before looking back at the king deadpanned. Hearing this, the old king's eyebrow rose by a few millimetres, something that would not be caught by untrained eyes, which was not the case for Yona.

Using her small finger, she pointed straight to the ougi board. "Through this." And then pointed to the king himself. "With you." Her voice was monotone as she said it.

Those little actions earned a big laugh from the emperor. And at that moment, Yona thought her eardrum was going to bleed.

* * *

After the commotion was over, the game was resumed. Soon it was another win for the emperor. Yona refused to do another match, so they stopped playing and just enjoyed the tea, as well as the afternoon breeze. Sometimes, it made Yona wondered just how much time the old king had that he could spend time with her like this for hours. But it was not her business and she could care less about it. She had so many on her plate already that she didn't need another adding to it.

But looking back at the discarded ougi board, she could practically feel her irritation peaked up. She crossed her hands and glared at King Joo-Nam. "Damn. You were really going easy with me back then, weren't you?" she grumbled as she gave him an accusing look.

He took a sip of his tea and looked at her with an amusing glint. "You are not exactly the most brilliant tactician." he teased.

Yona huffed silently. Her face was starting to flush as she heard it. "Planning is not my forte." She mumbled in a small voice. It's true that she was not good with planning and making strategies. She usually just threw herself to the battlefield and let her instinct guide her body. That's why enemies were never able to read her movement, simply because she herself also never made any plan on her every movement.

But that's all because she was a war veteran, was already a pro in those rough battlefields, which made her able to fight and survive without any plan. After all, her survival instinct had been honed to the point that she could fight while sleeping.

But of course, for someone like Emperor Joo-Nam, it was not acceptable. Especially when the said person was someone _**important**_ in his eyes. "It is a necessary skill for every leader exists." He looked at her, hard and long, frowns marrying his face as he stroked his chin.

His face was copied by Yona, who was also frowning. "I'm not a leader." She pointed.

"I'm not saying you are." He countered. This makes Yona really confused. She blinked and blinked again, trying to process what the old man was talking about.

After a few moments, he opened his mouth. "I know you will be." He said with the utmost confidence. Then it suddenly clicked, all of their conversation from the first time they met till today.

 **.**

 _"Who are you?"_ – I know who you are…

 **.**

 _"You are not Yona, are you?"_ – I need to confirm my speculation…

 **.**

 _"A two-year-old child cannot talk this fluently."_ – You are not a child…

 **.**

 _"A normal child doesn't show this kind of maturity either, young one."_ – You are not a child…

 **.**

 _"I grant you entries to the library. Take and read whatever you want."_ – I want you to gain knowledge as early as possible…

 **.**

 _"Do you want to be a king?"_ – I will give you the seat…

 **.**

" _You should learn how to be a tactician."_ – You need to learn how to lead people…

 **.**

" _It is a necessary skill for every leader exists."_ – You are the future leader; you should have that skill…

 **.**

Her heart beat quickly as she recalled those conversations and realized the meaning of those random statements. She had never read too far into those random lines which sometimes come out in the middle of their talks. _'Don't tell me…'_ she pursed her lips in a line and narrowed her eyes.

"Grandfather, don't do something that you'll regret." She growled. Now that she already knew what the old Emperor's plan was, she needed to stop him before it was too late. Screw the big change, screw the problematic future. If she let him did what he planned to do, the past would repeat once again. The past that she desperately wanted to change… would without doubt occurred again… and she couldn't let that happened!

The old emperor, however, was quick to dismiss her not-so-subtle anger. "Regret is something too luxury for a king to feel, young one." This ended up making Yona more furious than before. She looked down, her hair shadowed her eyes. She tried to control her anger before she did or said something that she would regret. But alas, she was too angry to even think straight.

"then, what do you mean about I being a leader?" she asked in a low voice, trying to hold back her anger inside which was not go unnoticed by her grandfather. And again, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he just kept enjoying his tea.

"That seat is rightfully yours."

She snapped her head and glared at the other one. "I'm not on the direct line, Uncle Yoo-Hong and Soo-won are." Her growled was even louder than before.

And yet, once again, it was dismissed easily by the emperor. It was as if nothing had happened, even when Yona had acted all impolite and out of her supposed _**image**_. Rather, he found it all too amusing, like he was watching a great opera playing in front of him. He snorted, giving her a playful glance. "Who do you think I am? Something as simple as that can be arranged in a mere seconds."

However, Yona didn't find it amusing; she couldn't even control her mind and self anymore. And thus, she just let her anger got the best of her. "Don't tell me you want to appoint father just for that ridiculous reason?" her voice became louder.

Her anger had blinded her, and now she didn't even think before speaking anymore. She didn't realize that the emperor narrowed his eyes when she mentioned the word _**father**_ , because after all, he had yet to tell her about his plan. Heck, he didn't even said that she would become a _**king**_ , as he only said that he believed she would become a _**leader**_. If he found it suspicious, then he said nothing and decided to play along with her.

"I did nothing ridiculous. It's just a stage that I prepare for you, young one." He said. He kept watching her movement, taking note on all of her reaction. This was the first time she had ever showed her real feelings. This might be where he would find his answer. He would keep pushing her buttons if that means he could get the entire missing puzzle.

Yona didn't aware of the Emperor's hidden objective. Staying cool was also not an option as her mind and judgement had been clouded by sheer anger. She didn't understand why her grandfather would not listen to her, why he kept dismissing her even when he had seen her outright objection. _'Doesn't he understand what he is doing?!'_

"Grandfather, father is not appropriate for leading a kingdom. You know how he is." She tried very hard to reason with him. But she knew her patient had drawing thin. It was already on its limit and it would soon go passed the limit. And that was as clear as daylight in the Emperor's eyes.

However, he couldn't stop here when this was his only chance to find out the needed information. "It's because I know how he is, I will entrust him to protect this kingdom until you are prepared enough to step up the ladder." Yes, he would keep pushing her buttons, now that he knew which button to push. And he knew he had pushed the right button since she suddenly yells. "Grandfather!" her face is red from anger, the frustration is as clear as day.

"I'll hear nothing of it. I've made my decision." Oh, how he wished he could capture this moment. This was all too amusing. It would be good teaching materials and a hard lesson for his granddaughter to learn, she need to learn not to let her opponent riled her. It seemed like she had a big issue in patience department or she might just sensitive in talking about her father. The latter was highly unlikely for he had never heard any problem had occurred between the two of them.

He saw her looking down, her hair overshadowed both of her eyes. For a few moments, she kept silent. She knew she had crossed the line. The man who was sitting in front of her was an emperor, her grandfather. Shouting like that, of course, was not acceptable, even if they are quite close. The difference in their status was as clear as day, and she should had never crossed it.

"Am I allowed to ask why you want me to be a king?" she asked in a small voice. If she couldn't change his mind, then at the very least, she needed to know his reason. Just what he saw in her that made him decided on making her an emperor.

"You already ask, dear."

"I want to know your reason." She really wanted to know. Because she had a suspicion on the reason why.

"One day you will. Until then, be patient." He told her.

But that was not what she wanted to hear. "Is it because of the old legend? Because of the so called dragon tale? Because I was born with red hair that you thought I am Hiryuu's reincarnation?" she asked in a small voice. "if so, then you are so damn wrong!"

She had been sick of this, of the fact that people kept making that assumption, kept looking at her but at the same time not looking at her. Because what everyone was looking at was not her, but the Hiryuu that had long gone, not the Yona who was standing in front of them. And she couldn't take it anymore.

"I'll make it clear, right here, right now! I'm not King Hiryuu! I'm not him! So stop getting your hopes up and being persistent!" she shouted, her pent up emotions were all shoot out without control. The old emperor chose to stay quiet and watched the scene unfolded. _'It seems I've found my answer.'_ He thought as he closed his eyes.

"I'm not a god, nor am I a hero! I'm only a human being that has no power whatsoever!"

Yes, he had found the last piece of his puzzle. And it was more problematic that he had first thought. He opened his eyes again and looked at Yona. He could saw that her eyes are moist. Reaching out to her, he patted her head slowly and soothingly.

"I'm not saying you are and I'm not hoping you are. But I know that you love Kouka more than anyone else do… and that's enough for me." He said in his fatherly tone.

This was not the result that he had looked forward too, and certainly not a small problem that he could handle easily. Though, it didn't mean that he would keep quiet and let her handle this trouble alone. No, he would make sure that she had his support till his last breath.

* * *

Lying on the roof, Hak was watching the sky absentmindedly. He heard it all, those arguments down there. How could he not, when Yona's voice was that loud. He felt numb and lost. He didn't know what to do. Yona's feelings… it had never occurred to him that Yona had been feeling like that. _'Has anyone ever hoping her to be like King Hiryuu?'_ he wondered. He had never seen or even heard of it.

' _Is all those too mature characters of hers are the result of taking those entire burden?'_

If so, it meant that he would need to switch priorities to watching and looking out for her. After all, she had always been his first priority, no matter where it was.

He let out a deep sigh. _'Why it is suddenly become so troublesome…'_

* * *

 _ **To be continued**_

* * *

 **And that's it for the third chappie! :D**

 **Actually, I'm not sure how to write about King Joo-Nam, 'coz he has never come out on canon, right? So I'm basically make it up~ Hehe... =w=**

 **For those who have read the wattpad version, you might have read those flashback since there are no difference between this and that version. I just need to write it down so the readers who don't read wattpad version will not be confused. After all, in the first chapter, I barely told you anything, don't I?**

 **Anyway, the thing I need to ask is this.**

 **I wanted to know if readers want to read a Extra/Special Chapter or not. That chapter will talk about the story around this fanfic. Example : A Hak Special Chapter will talk about the story so far in Hak's point of view, or other character... if you have a special request about a certain story like Yona's past or sth like that, I can also write it down. If there is no request, then I'm not gonna write it, since it's like an 'Extra' for you~ ;D**

 **So, if you want to, please tell me, so I can count whether you 'want' to read it or 'don't want to'. If it is less than 10 then, I'll assume people don't want to~ #slap**

 **This time I'll just count on WANT or NOT, we'll talk about the Title and the content after that. Since I don't know how the polling system works, you can tell me from review or PM me or whatever. I'll open it until the next update (August 13th)~**

 **Thank you for your attention~ XD**

 **Also, Thank you for those who have left a review here~**

 **CVJ** : Thank you, dear~ XD My King Joo-Nam seems to be a little air-head, tho! I don't know how to potray him… he is a mystery… T.T Hope that you like this chapter! :D

 **Aoutre** : Hehe… indeed it's been so long… I'm not gonna blame you if you forgot it already, but I'm really glad that you would still read it! Thank you very much! *bow*

 **M-Angel 05** : Thank you so much for reading my story! :D this is the new update, hope that you enjoy it!

 **Bookgirl18** : Oh my, Thank you! I'm glad that you like it! We'll see just what Yona will change later, ne~ ^o^

 **Goddess bubbles** : Oh my, Oh my! The trio go on journey together! It'll be like dreams come true! . Oh well, let's just see how this story will unfold, shall we?*wink* #evil

 **Guest** : I'm glad that you can feel like that! Hope that the next chapter will also do the same~ ;)

 **Please leave a review for this chapter too~ Any critique, advice, or comment will be welcomed here! :D**

 **I'm sorry if there are a lot of Grammar or spelling errors... It has always been a huge problem for me... T.T**

 **Thank you for your time!**

 **See you on August 13th~**

 ***Ld-G sign out***


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, Readers~ :D**

 **Here is the new chappie! Hope you enjoy it~**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Akatsuki no Yona.**

 **PS: don't forget to read the Author Note below, 'kay?**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **ASSASINATION ARC**

– PART 3 –

* * *

Yona walked aimlessly, still in daze from her previous meeting. What the old king told her struck her straight in her heart. It's stung. Her mind keep wander back to that meeting.

* * *

 **-Flashback-**

* * *

After the little outburst, King Joo-Nam and Yona both fell in a deep silent. Yona tried to keep her bearing, calming her raging emotion. Her grandfather helped her by rubbing her back in a slow motion. Some minutes had passed before she finally calm herself.

"Feel better?" she responded with a small nod. She kept her gaze on the ground, suddenly found the ground really interesting. Thinking back at what had occurred, Shame started to creep inside her. "I'm sorry…" she mumbled, disappointment was apparent in her voice.

"Hm? For what?"

She let out a sigh. "For… my outburst… it's unbecoming of me… as a princess…" he didn't say anything for a moment. Then she heard a _click_ sound, assuming that the old man was taking a sip on his tea. Her own tea had long been forgotten.

Not sooner than that, she heard a chuckled. "There is a time when we need to hold back; there is also a time when we need to pour it out. Otherwise, we'll go nuts. This world is crazy enough. It doesn't need to be crazier than it already is." He told her gently.

She frowned, taking her eyes from the floor, she look straight at him. "But still…" she bit her lips. "It was so childish…" she continued, "…and I shouldn't have poured it out on you, Grandfather…" she let her eyes wander again, looking at anything but him.

"Do you actually forget that you are basically a child now?" he asked her with a hint of amusement. "It's not childish perse. In truth, I'm glad that you let it out. It was actually one of my goals to figure out just who you are."

Hearing that, she let her gaze wander back to her Grandfather, and she blinked and blinked. She really didn't realize that he had that kind of objective all along. All of this time, she only thought that he was suspicious of her, wanting to keep her close to him so he could keep an eye on her. After all, there was a saying: _**Keep your friends close but your enemies closer**_ , but now, it seemed he only wanted to figure her out, or was she wrong again? She didn't know.

She mentally shook her head. Drinking the forgotten tea, she cringed at the coldness that soon numbed her tongue. Her tea has gone cold, making the tea taste more bitter than usual. It seemed that the Emperor had also come into the same conclusion for he called his servant to serve them new set of sweets and tea. Both of them waited in the comfortable silence, despite the argument that happened a while ago.

Minutes passed with no spoken word. The servants came with a fresh sweets and tea. She saw the content look on the old man face as he took a sip of his tea, before she join him in drinking her tea. A cup of fresh warm tea is indeed better than the cold tea she drank before.

The silence was broken by the Emperor. "Do you have a weapon?" he asked, taking a bite at the served sweets. Yona shook her head a little. "no." she answered.

King Joo-Nam's eyebrow rose a little. "Then how are you supposed to learn self-defence?" his face and voice bear the hint of incredulous, maybe because Yona was so ill-prepared in everything despite the maturity that she had shown.

She tilted her head a little. "Martial arts?" she responded, wearing a confused look. She didn't know what's the problem with the lack of weapon in aiding her learn self-defence. There are tons of ways to learn self-defence weapon less.

Once again, the emperor gave her a disbelief look. "With that short body?" he asked.

A vein was popped on Yona's head. She glared at him for giving such remark as she felt insulted. "I'll let you know that I'll grow taller in the future." She pouted. Her height is a sensitive subject, even if it was true.

King Joo-Nam scoffed at her remark. "But not in a few years, no?" He raised his eyebrow by a few millimetres as he commented. He didn't miss the fact that Yona flinched a little under his gaze.

"W-well… I can learn archery." She stuttered. Honestly, she understood his point. And yet, her ego didn't allow her to lose this argument just yet.

"And that will protect you, how?" another point was thrown right to her face.

"It is an effective long range battle skill." She said grumpily. She still remembered all the trouble that she had gone through to learn archery and how she practiced it into perfectness. Though in the end, she didn't use it anymore since it wasn't as effective on the battlefield as sword. Nevertheless, it was still a really great skill to acquire.

King Joo-Nam rolled his eyes at her answer. "And it'll end in a second when you are ambushed." He stated. It was like someone punched her straight at her face. "That's…!" she stopped and thought for a little while before she sighed. "Not… wrong…" she said dejectedly. She realized that he was right; she knew it since the beginning. However, she was not in a condition to complain. It was hard enough to secretly practice self-defence, it would be harder for her to find a weapon for her to use.

The old emperor let out a deep sigh. He walked out from the room for a while and came back holding some kind of baton. "Take this." He handed her the baton. The baton might be around 80cm long and because her body was short, she found it a little too long. It was pretty, white in color and had flame-like pattern and dragon on it.

She looked at the King. "What is this?" she asked as she tilted it back and ford. She looked at the old Emperor curiously. However, the old man only gave her a warm smile. "Take a look yourself."

She blinked. Examining the baton again, she soon found out that the baton was detachable. She pulled it and was surprised to find that it become a double blade katana. The same pattern was carved on the blade as well. The blade might be around 40cm long, and it was a double edge blade. After using swords for more than two decades, she knew that this sword was an amazing masterpiece. For the sword to be this good, it needed some real master blacksmith to create it. It was handled with such care too, as the sword was still in a good condition.

Unbeknownst to her, the old emperor gave her a fond look. "That was once given for me by my old friend as a keepsake. As you know, I'm more into heavy swords, so I never used that. Since you said you'll be learning self-defence, having a sword will be better than nothing." He said.

She turned to look at her grandfather, amazement was apparent on her face. But then, suddenly she remembered something. "You know… this is what people called favouritism." She frowned a little. The sudden change of heart cause the king's to raise an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Still frowning, Yona started to explain. "You didn't give anything to Soo-Won. Heck, you don't even spend any time with him." by the end, her furrowed brow get even deeper than before.

King Joo-Nam let a chuckle out. "That child doesn't need this old man prying into his life." He said as he poking her brow, to ease the tension.

Yona scowled. "And what make you think that I need one?" she argued back which only earned a small disapproved shake of head from the old man. "You certainly need one, young one." He said.

Yona was ready to talk back before he held his hand up, indicating her to keep quite. He stared at her as he began talking. "because you saw more, you know more, and you've gone through more, more than anyone can imagine, and certainly I'm the only one living here that understand the way you feel down there."

Yona opened her mouth, wanting to argue back. Yet, she couldn't find any word to say, her voice seemed stuck inside her throat. She closed her mouth and opened it again, but still, she couldn't think of any remark. At last, she sighed. "Do you know how dangerous you are?" she gave him a deadpanned look.

The king let out a snort. "You are not the first one saying that, and certainly will not be the last."

Yona stared down, eyeing her tea. This was all confusing, so much confusing. She didn't know how the old king could know her secret. Is it pure guess or what? "How can you know…" she let the question out, speaking in a small soft voice. It was more for clearing her messy mind, rather than asking for an answer.

The old emperor watched her every action with such a tender gaze. "I know nothing. But I know those eyes of yours, because I saw that every day on my reflection. Tired, aren't you?" his voice was equally soft, and when Yona look at him, the image in front of her was no longer the strong charismatic emperor. It was the look of someone who was tired of everything in this world, who was exhausted in taking burden. Yes, that was not King Joo-Nam, the emperor of Kouka's Kingdom. That is Joo-Nam, an old man who had been tired of working and carrying the heavy burden of the nation.

She didn't know what to say. But she wanted to ease the tension, somehow. "You make me sounds like an old woman." she mentally scolded herself for the lame joke. It didn't feel funny at all.

The emperor just gave her a small smile. "Are you not?" he asked, amused. He took a sip of his tea again, ignoring the glares that his granddaughter sent at him for calling her old. There is a gleam in his eyes as he returned her glare with a joyful look. "I'm not living this long and gain nothing, young lady." He didn't even bother masked his happy voice and enjoying teasing the poor child out, which doesn't sit well with Yona, who was his victim.

"Are you sure you are an old man? Or even an Emperor? Because I'm starting to doubt both my ears and eyes." She grumbled a little, not caring about manner any longer. "We will grow older, this body will grow weaker, but our mental should forever be young." He told her happily.

Once again, he gave a tender gaze to her. "Go socialize more, little one. It will help you, and hopefully cure you. You are actually a ticking bomb right now. It's only a matter of time before it'll explode. Those emotion that you've pent up inside… one day, it'll be the dead of you. You need to let them out before it's too late."

He continued, "I know what you fear the most. You fear losing the love in your life, fear being abandoned and misunderstood again. I can feel that there's a lot of fear in you actually. You find the world confusing. You know it's messed up and yet, you don't know what to do about it. You feel powerless to make a difference. Don't say anything, you don't have to. I can tell from your face that it's true. That's why you close your heart, isn't it? I understand you completely, believe me I do. Why? Because I have walk that road and I have experienced it myself. It wasn't an easy journey, was it? I knew you were someone special from the start, I just knew."

It was followed by silence, and this time, Yona wasn't bothered to break it. She looked at the King in silence, processing what he just told her. Seeing that he has caught your absolute attention, he started speaking again.

"But, you are not alone, not anymore." He began. "Open your eyes, and see the world. This world is not the dark world that you always told yourself. There is sunshine and there are flowers. There are mountain and rivers. There are living things. Take a step outside. You'll realize that the world out there is really bright, full of colours which you have missed for the time you holed yourself up," He continued, "If you stay like this, you'll not only hurting yourself, but also those who stay beside you."

His eyes showed the kind of gentle concern that her _**father**_ used to have. He laid his hand lightly on her shoulder, and instead of flinching like she usually did, she was soothed by it. He left his hand there and spoke with such a soft voice she felt his words calming her more by the way they were said than the actual words. "There is nothing to be ashamed of by having these emotions. We are, after all, still a human being, are we not?" he gave her a warm smile. The way he spoke made her felt as if she were wrapped in a blanket of his caring that she didn't want to take off anytime soon.

"You have done well, Yona."

And that was the only thing which she had always yearned to hear.

* * *

 **-End of flashback-**

* * *

As she walked down the hallway, she recalled what her grandfather told her, word by word. Yes, what he had said was right on the spot. She was afraid, afraid of losing someone dear and being left behind again. That was why she kept her distance with the others, even if it was painful for her. It wouldn't matter if she was hurt in the process, as long as her precious one was happy and save; it would be enough for her. She wouldn't ask for more. And yet, a small part of her always yearned for someone's comfort, for them to realize that she was actually really lonely. That small part always wished for a day where she could actually let go this entire burden.

* * *

Seeing Yona leaving the room, Hak made a move to trail her again. He jumped down the roof and started to follow Yona when he was stopped by a voice.

"Brat."

He mentally flinched, taking a deep breath as he turn to face the caller, who was none other than Emperor Joo-Nam. "Your Majesty." He bowed respectfully toward the Emperor. _'I'm screwed.'_ He mentally sighed. He should have known that the Emperor would know about his little spying action. He just prayed to the god that the Emperor would let this one slide.

"Do me a favour and look after that little kid, will you?"

He startled a little. Looking up at the Emperor, he saw the Emperor's gentle expression directed to him. He never once thought that the Emperor would personally ask him to look after Yona; after all, he wasn't part of Yona's bodyguard. _'At least not yet.'_ He mentally added. But now that the Emperor had brought it up, he couldn't refuse to do so. Hak lowered himself and kneeled in front of the Emperor. "I will, Your Majesty." He said.

King Joo-Nam gave him a satisfactory nod. "Go on then, Young One." He said, dismissing Hak. Hak stood from his position and gave him one last bow before leaving to search Yona. He didn't know why the King did what he did, and it certainly was not his business, but he wouldn't go back to his word. 'Even if he didn't ask, I will do so.' He thought as he looked around for his red head _princess_.

* * *

She was too caught up with her thought that she didn't realize she bumped someone. She almost fell down, had the person didn't change her. She looked up, and realized that person was Hak. He gave her a concerned look. "What's wrong, Yona-sama?" he examined her up and down and noticed that Yona was holding a long baton. He glanced for a brief moment before looking back at Yona. He could see that she had a blank look. Her eyes looked so distant, it seemed as if she looked far passed him. For a brief moment, a slight pain rushed inside his heart. _'Just who are you looking at, Yona?_ ' but he shallowed it down, buried the unspoken question.

Unbeknownst to him, Yona was actually reminiscing the past, of her failure. Looking at Hak's face made her even sadder and guiltier. She remembered his past self, she remembered all those journey they had gone through, she remembered the love she had for him… she remembered the regret of not telling him her feeling before it was too late. _'I lost you before I could even hold you… if only I was more honest with you… and with myself.'_

A single tear slid down from her warm, round eyes, followed by another one, and another one, until soon, a steady stream of salty tears flowed it was way down her pale cheek, releasing the sadness and sorrow that has been held inside of her for all this time but still she did not make a sound.

Hak eyes widened as he watched the stream flowed down. He didn't know what he should do, he was never good with handling a crying woman, and certainly still wasn't good with it. But couldn't bear to see her crying like this, his heart throbbed painfully as he saw the tears fell down. He pulled her to his chest, embraced her tightly as she let out her sorrow. Because that was the only thing he knew how to do, the only thing that he could do for her.

And that was the last straw for Yona to let loose. As much as she tried to hold it in, the pain came out like an uproar from her throat in the form of a silent scream. The beads of water kept falling down one after another, without a sign of stopping. In the embrace, she tried to scream, but her voice was melted by the sound of the place. The muffled sobs wracked against her chest. The world turned into a blur, and so did all the sounds. The taste. The smell. Everything was gone. The last painful emotion slammed against her before she lost the feeling of feeling. Everything darkened into nothingness as she passed into the oblivion of unconsciousness.

Hak didn't know how long he stayed in that position. He didn't care about the wetness on his shirt. He rubbed Yona's back, trying to ease her tension. Her body shook a little as she poured her sorrow out. He could felt that his arm started to tire out, but he ignored it. He stayed like that until he felt some weight on him. He realized Yona had cried to sleep. Without much choice, he piggy-back her back to her chamber.

He made sure to avoid any servant because he didn't want to go through all the trouble explaining what happened. He tucked her in her bed, watching her sleeping in silent. He noticed that her eyes were swollen and red; tears were still visible at the edge of her closed eyes. He looked at her with a mixed of hurt, pain, sadness and love. With one rough hand under her chin, he angles her face toward him and kissed away the tears.

"I will protect you, Hime-sama, even at the cost of my life."

He gave her one last look before leaving her chamber. _'I will protect you, your future, and your love. I will not fail you again, I swore.'_

* * *

When Yona woke up later, she thought that was all a dream. But then, her swollen red eyes were the proof that all of that was real. She once again broke down in front of Hak, this time was much worse than before. She hid her face between her hands, feeling really embarrassed as she remembered what happened.

Her face was red, and she pouted a little as she looked at her reflection on the mirror. "Hak will certainly be the death of me." She didn't know how to face Hak anymore.

' _Damn it! This is so out of character of me! Can I just bury myself in a hole?!'_

* * *

She was really mortified by the little accident that she went as far as to avoid any contact with Hak. Whenever she heard his voice, she would run and hid somewhere. It was more of a reflex than intentionally. And if she couldn't hide, she would avoid any eye contact with him and stayed as far as she could from him. The tension was so thick, and the awkwardness was visible in her every gesture.

Hak and Soo-Won obviously picked this up. She could practically saw the questioning look that Soo-Won throw to her and Hak, and yet he didn't asked any further. Soo-Won might be the only bridge which connected her and Hak at this moment. But even that didn't lessen the tension between Yona and Hak, or more like the tension Yona caused.

She mentally used the excuse of wanting to practice using the sword, which was given by King Joo-Nam, to avoid meeting with Hak. Though, she knew that it was merely an excuse to hide herself. She knew she was a coward, not to mention, it was only a little accident. However, her ego spoke differently. It might be a little longer till she could come terms with her heart.

* * *

Avoiding Hak was one thing, avoiding a stalker was another thing. It had come to her attention that someone was watching her and following her every movement. _'Someone is following me…'_ she didn't know who was it, but she knew for sure that she was being followed. Her instinct said so, and she wasn't about to ignore it. The only thing that she can do was to act as if she knew nothing. _'Pretend that you don't know, Yona. Pretend!'_ she silently reminded herself.

* * *

Days had passed, and yet her stalker was still following her. It made her be conscious in her every little act. She dare not do anything that could cause alarm, and she made sure to stay silent all the time. Because she didn't what this stalker wanted from her. Was it information or was it her daily schedule? Or was it the people around her? Whatever it was, she had a feeling that this person was a real dangerous one.

' _This person is really stubborn.'_ She grumbled mentally as she walked. Her ears didn't pick on any sound from the said stalker, which spoke a volume about that person skill. _'And a good one too.'_ She cursed mentally. This was not a good sign, as a skilled stalker had a high possibility to be an assassin.

' _If only I've grown… it'll be easy to deal with this mess.'_ She let out a heavy sigh. _'I should speed up my training. At the very least, I need to be able to protect myself.'_

* * *

She was lying on the garden, watching the clouds. She was thinking about how to handle her current predicament, yet she couldn't think up a way out. Why? Because she couldn't do anything drastic. Since she was being watched, her movement was limited. Not to mention, she didn't even know who stalked her, which was really frustrating.

 _PRANG_

The sound was so sudden. She jolted from her position and she turned back to find the source before suddenly her internal alarm shouted for her to dodge something. And indeed, there was something being thrown at her, something sharp enough to cut her cheek. She looked at the thing from the corner of her eyes; it was glinting under the sunshine. _'Damn it. This is bad…'_ she cursed internally.

At first glance she would have sworn it was chunks of clear glass, given the temperature, it was the most likely guess. But when she bent to pick up a piece she almost screamed. It was cold, ice cold, and wet to the touch. Her heart was beating wildly. What the hell was ice doing way out here? And why so large and irregular? Each piece had at least the volume of an oversized mug. She could only imagine them being used as weapons of some sort, maybe shot from afar, and so she spun around on her heels casting wild eyes to the horizon. Empty. She readied her baton, just in case. This was a surprise and she didn't like them, not even on birthdays.

' _After all of this time, the stalker indeed is an assassin? Isn't this too predictable?'_ she let out a wry laugh. _'Things really can get worst in the strangest time.'_ she narrowed her eyes as she looked around. _'But why…?'_ silently, she began wreaking her brain for an answer.

She didn't remember ever received a threat in her previous life. She used to have a quite peaceful life in the castle, of course minus the annoying little things that happened like the courting from that stupid Kan Tae-Jun.

She widened her eyes as she realized something. _'Don't tell me… don't tell me things had changed…'_ unconsciously, her body shook a little. Her face gone pale and she had hard time breathing. _'But I haven't done anything yet!'_ she silently screamed. She gasped a little _. 'Why…'_

As she struggling calming herself down, she heard someone called her. "Yona!" it was Soo-Won. He ran to her while smiling at her. When he had come near her, he let out a gasp. "Yona! What happened to your face?! Why is it bleeding?" he asked, panic was apparent in his voice.

Yona only stare at him before touching her face. Indeed, there was blood, which was flowing unnoticed by her. Now that she conscious about the cut, she realized that it throbbed a little. She turned her face away from Soo-Won. "It's nothing." She mumbled. She wiped the blood with her sleeve and walked away. Her brain had already started to form a plan in handling this not so good situation. Little did she know that Soo-Won was watching her retreated back with a worried look.

' _Something is wrong…'_ he thought. But the lack of knowledge made him unable to do anything. He looked around the area and found the pieces of ice. Dread and concern suddenly rushed into his heart. _'Yona… what exactly happened?'_

* * *

 _ **To be continued**_

* * *

 **That's it for the forth chapter! A little short, I think, but I felt that it was the best place to cut it. A little spoiler to you~ the next chapter will be the climax of this arc~ =w=**

 **Anyway, regarding the last issue about Extra Chapter, I came into the conclusion that most readers don't want one since there are only four readers who actually participating in the survey, three of them wanted to read the Extra, while one of them didn't want to.**

 **Like I said before, if there were not at least 10 people participating, it would be considered that readers don't like the idea. So I'm hereby apologizing to those who had said they want one. Don't worry, there is always next time! Maybe for next time, I'll just use the pole system. Will it be more effective, though?**

 **Alright, that's it for the announcement! Thank you for your attention!**

 **Thank you for those who have reviewed the last chapter, favourite and followed this story! :D**

 **Bookgirl18:** Thank you for reading this story! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! ^^ All of your question will be answered soon in the story, so just stay tuned, ne~ Though, I'm so sorry that I won't write any Extra Chapter soon, maybe next time 'k? ;)

 **Harukatana:** Thank you for reading my story! I'm glad my King Joo-Nam was likeable, since he was really a mysterious character for us. He had never come out in canon, and I wonder will he ever come out, like at all? -.- And so sorry about the extra chapter! . as you can already saw the result… maybe next time, 'kay? :D

 **M-Angel 05:** Thank you for reading this story! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Ohoho~ just stay tuned on this story to find out, k? :D Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

 **Sage McGavin:** Thank you for your offer! I'm sorry, but I'd like to see how far my writing can improve, so I would like to keep this as how I write it for the time being. Thanks for your offer, though! :D

 **Nfirefly:** Thank you for reading this story! :DI hope that all the character are not OOC, it was especially hard to write Hak and Soo-Won. (._.) And so sorry about the extra chapter! . as you can already saw the result… maybe next time, 'kay? :D Oh, and your English was alright. You know, mine isn't perfect as well~ ;3

 **MugetsuIchigo:** Thank you for reading this story! I'm glad that you love it. Thank you for participating in the survey as well! Hope that you enjoy reading this chapter~ :D

 **Minako213:** Thank you for reading this story! Here is the newest update~ :D Yes, as I've mentioned before, the flashback part was taken directly from the wattpad version, since I hadn't tell readers about Yona and her grandfather's first meeting, so yeah. I hope that you enjoy the next part as well! :D

 **Review please, Minna~ any comment, critique, or advice is welcome! :D**

 **See you on August 27** **th** **!**

 ***Ld-G signed out***


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey readers~ Good day to you all~ :D**

 **I'm not late, am I? Anyway, here you go~**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Akatsuki no Yona**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **ASSASINATION ARC**

-PART 4-

* * *

"It'll be spring in a few months~" Soo-Won said happily as he looked out from the window. Beside him sat a gloomy Hak, eating an apple while listening to Soo-Won. He looked at Soo-Won with disbelief look.

"What's there to be happy about? It's still a long way to go." He grumbled. He took another bite to his apple; the chilling air was making him shivered a little bit. He took a glimpse at his best friend and he saw that that sunny smile is still hanging there.

"Seems like someone is extremely happy today." He remarked, though he was sure that his best friend always wore that smile everywhere.

The said best friend gave him an even brighter smile, his eyes were especially shining. "I'm going to stay with Yona for a few weeks!" he happily announced. And he looked at Hak expectantly. "Let's stay over together, Hak!" he said.

Hak poker-faced stared at him. Gloominess suddenly came back full force. "I don't think I'll be welcomed there."

Soo-Won just sweat dropped. "Did you get in a fight with Yona, Hak?" he asked. He knew that there was something happened with the two of them, but he had no idea what. Both Yona and Hak were suddenly really distant with each other and really awkward too. He wouldn't deny the fact that Yona was the one who started distancing herself though.

Hak gaped as he heard Soo-Won. "Hah? From where do this thought come from?" he asked confusedly. Soo-Won just shrugged.

"Well, Yona seems to be super-duper awkward with you. Do you see the atmosphere when both of you present?! It suddenly becomes so cloudy! I almost thought it'll storm!" he explained. Hak rolled his eyes as he listened to him.

"You are exaggerating. Anyway, it's not my fault. Didn't you see where the awkwardness is coming from? She is the one with the problem here." he grumbled.

Soo-Won tilted his head a little, confusion painted on his eyes. "So you also don't know why she was like that?" he asked. Hak gave him a deadpanned look, and took another bite on his apple.

"Didn't you hear me?" he asked while munching his apple.

Soo-Won chuckled as he watched his best friend antics. He turned to look out the window and saw Yona at the garden, doing some kind of exercise. He remembered seeing the cut on Yona's cheek and how deadly Yona's expression was.

He glanced at Hak from the corner of his eyes, debating whether to tell him or not. At last, he came to the conclusion that it would be better for Hak to know as well. Hak might know what they could do to help her.

"I think… something happened to her, you know." He began. Hak looked at him in confusion, seemingly urging him to continue. "I visited her the other day, and I saw her with a cut on her cheek. It was bleeding too." He told him.

As expected, Hak looked surprised by his news. But unexpectedly, he didn't look worried at all. All that Soo-Won saw was the harden look in Hak eyes, which was even deadlier than any stare he had ever received.

"And?" he was cut out from his musing when Hak directed a question; his eyes told him to elaborate more about this news.

"Uh… She didn't tell me anything though. I checked the area, and I found something like ice there." Soo-Won said. His eyes never left Hak's harden eyes as he speaking.

"Ice?" Hak rest his chin on his hand, a little action that Soo-Won came to label as Hak's thinking pose.

"Hn. A big piece of it too. It can hurt someone pretty badly, I think." Soo-Won described while racking his brain on what else he had found. _'That's all, I think.'_ He blinked before focusing on Hak again.

Hak nodded as acknowledgement. "But she was okay, right?" he asked. Soo-Won gave him a quick nod. "Except that small cut, nothing else. But her face was really pale. It must be pretty frightening."

He saw Hak sighed before looking out the window. Hak seemed had noticed Yona down there, he gaze at her with an expression that Soo-Won couldn't grasp. Is it longingness? Sadness? Determination? He didn't know. It looked like all those emotions mixed together that Soo-Won could hardly recognize it.

Suddenly, Hak faced him. "Let's go." He said while walking away, surprising Soo-Won.

"Go? Go where, Hak?" Soo-Won asked as he trailed behind Hak.

"Where else? To our small princess of course." Hak answered which such an obvious tone. Soo-Won couldn't believe his ears. "Small?"

"She is small." And once again, the answered was given with an obvious tone. Soo-won could only smile weakly.

"Yona won't be happy to hear It." he said, imagining Yona's face if she ever hear it. He cringed a little at the thought of it.

But it seemed like had no effect whatsoever on Hak. He scoffed as he listened to Soo-Won. "Had she ever be happy about anything, like at all?" he asked sarcastically.

Soo-Won didn't know whether this is a good sign or not. _'Is Hak fed up with Yona's attitude?'_

"Well… we are kind of… intruding her life?" he tried to reason, thought he knew it was not helping at all.

"Not at all. We've been really considerate to her, remember? Even when she ignored us all the way…" Hak glanced at Soo-Won meaningfully as Hak replied. Soo-Won could hear frustration in it, as well as hopelessness and helplessness. Suddenly, the child in front of him didn't look like a child anymore.

Soo-Won turned his gaze to the floor. He didn't want doubt linger inside him anymore than it already did, not to mention it was his best friend nonetheless. He tried to change his focus to Yona instead.

"Actually, she doesn't need to speak to be heard. You know, there are those who communicate in silence." He said, bearing Yona in mind. "I think she and I have a lot in common." He continued softly. Yes, he could relate her to him in that department. Sometimes, he could actually saw himself in Yona, although Yona might be more apparent in it.

He didn't realize that Hak threw him some glances. There was no reply for a few moments before Hak opened his mouth.

"But I'm not a mind reader. Unless she personally tells me, I can't hear her. So if she doesn't want to tell me, then I have no choice but to force it out." Determination was clear in his voice. "If I keep waiting, I might need to wait forever. By then, I'll be too old to even do anything." Hak continued, though with much light-hearted tone.

Soo-Won chuckled a little. "You have some kind of logic there, Hak." He said while shaking his head. Honestly, his best friend was one of the most surprising people out there, but it was kind of refreshing.

However, he didn't prepare himself for the next thing that Hak said, like at all. "That's why, you better start using your words too or I can't hear you." he halted as he looked at Hak, blinking rapidly on the sudden remark. "Me?" he tilted his head a little, not sure where this come from.

Seeing that Soo-Won stopped walking, Hak also mirrored him. He stared at Soo-Won with his poker face, and rolled his eye. "Who else am I talking to here?" he made it sounds so obvious, not bother to hide the sarcastic tone.

Soo-Won frown in confusion. "Why me? We are talking about Yona, right?"

Hak shrugged before starting to walk again. "Nah, you did say that you and she have a lot in common. Not that it was strange, seeing that you both are cousins."

Soo-won pouted. "It doesn't mean that we both are the same." He argued. While it is true that he rarely said what he was feeling inside, there was plenty of time where he told others. It's just he made sure to tell only those who could actually help him rather than telling just anyone.

Hak shrugged again. He spared Soo-Won a glance, and Soo-Won couldn't miss the mischief twinkling in those blue eyes. "I wonder about that." He said playfully while smirking. Then he run ahead, leaving Soo-Won, who was gaping, behind.

Soo-Won shook his head and laughed. Oh how he loved that best friend of his.

* * *

Inside the inner garden, Yona was practicing with the weapon that the King gave her. This part of the garden was well protected since the king knew that Yona liked to spend her time here. There were guards in every corner, and they don't even bother to mask the interest on their expression as they watched her practicing.

Thankfully, they didn't say anything as they watched her. That was why she could practice openly here, even when there was still a nagging feeling inside her, telling her that the protection wouldn't enough, that everything could gone wrong in a matter of second. Maybe she was being such paranoia, not that it could be help when she had lived through endless war.

As Yona trained, the guards could see the scowl painted on her face. More often than not, they saw her twitched her eyebrow as she thrust her weapon. Quite a few times, they could hear her growled in distaste. They tried to stay upright, holding back laughs or smiles, though some of them failed to do so. It was hard to contain, especially when it was really a funny scene. But if they did laugh, Yona would glare at them sullenly, sometimes pouted too.

It was surprising to see Yona suddenly came here one day to practice using a weapon. Of course the guards didn't know that it was a sword as Yona didn't sheath it. Nevertheless, the guards were shocked when the small girl arrived in the garden and started to practice handling that baton-like weapon.

Discreetly, they keep watching her, as she struggling on controlling the weapon with her small hand. It was hardly an hour later when she somehow able to control that weapon. Her movement became smoother and fluid, like that of an expert user. Truthfully, they slack-jawed as they watched her. She would definitely earn nothing praises from audience. And yet, the scowl was still painted on her face.

The guards didn't know that Yona was actually really frustrated inside. The lack of power as well as flexibility made her growl. She could felt that each thrust was weak, and her reflex as well as swing was slow. She didn't have half her previous speed or strength, her stamina was also so low in contrast with how she had before. Although it had been better after practicing for a few days, still it was still far below her standard. She knew that this was a child's body, and she couldn't actually expect things to change just after a few days of training. There was, after all, nothing instant in this world.

She kept musing and failed to realize that Hak and Soo-Won came approach her. Her intuition flared up, and instinctively, she swung her baton with as much force and speed as she could toward the intruder. She could barely register the shock look on Hak or the shout coming from Soo-Won. "Hak!"

It was a good thing that Hak had good reflex, he could dodge the coming attack and came out unscratched. The guards paled as they witnessed it. They had never thought that Yona would attack Hak and Soo-Won, and it happened way too fast for them to comprehend the situation. Yona that time look like a tiger claiming its territory.

A deafening silence overcame them. Yona blinked a few times before she aware of her surroundings. Her heart dropped a little as she looked at Hak and Soo-Won face. She grew pale as she remembered what she had done. She wanted desperately to tell them that it wasn't intentional, that it was merely a reflex from her survival instinct. But one look on Hak's face stopped her from actually say anything. The look on his eyes… it was a mixed of shock, confused and… proudness? Or is it astonishment? She shook her head to clear her mind. It seemed like there was a problem in her brain, otherwise, she would not be hallucinating.

She looked at Hak again. She noticed that Hak was looking at her with an unreadable expression. "Hey, if you hate me that much, there is a better way to tell me, isn't there?" he said softly with a blank gaze. She bit her lower lips as she tighten her grip on the sword. She didn't like that expression. Scratch that, she down right hate it.

"Sorry." She said, barely audible and yet, it was so clear to the audience, Hak and Soo-Won included. This was why they ended up stunned. Yona had never talked to them directly or even had any indication in doing so. Everyone was left speechless.

Their silence made Yona awkward. "What?" she asked, didn't know what she did wrong now.

Hak shook his head and poker-faced. "I thought you are mute." He said apathetically. As soon as that, the other people snapped their head to him, surprised by his answer.

But not so for Yona.

A vein popped on her head. She swung her baton down right on Hak's head with a lightning speed, earning a yelp from the said victim. "Itte!"

Soo-Won, who stood behind Hak, was surprised. "Hak!" he shouted, as he looked at his friend crouching down. "Are you alright?" he asked, worriedly.

Hak hold his head for a while, before he glared at Yona. But Yona just imitate his previous poker-faced, looking at him innocently. "Sorry, my hand slipped." She said, unapologetically.

"Slipped?! That's what you call Slipped?!" Hak snapped as he looked at her accusingly. Though Yona just turned her gaze on anything but him. A tiny bit smirks was form on her face, which wasn't went unnoticed by Hak. He shot her glare after glare, knowing too well that this was some kind of revenge from his previous remark.

Soo-Won sweat dropped as he watched the scene unfold. Right after that, Yona turn around and continue her training. She was happier now, since she had delivered her revenge. After being bullied by Hak in the previous life, paying Hak back was one of her goal this time around. Revenge was a sweat little thing, isn't it?

Suddenly, her baton was clashed with another staff, and when looked up, there stood Hak with a spear. She realized that it was not the Hsu Quandao; instead it was just a normal spear. _'Probably borrowed from the guard.'_ She thought.

She raised her eyebrow at him as he gave her a smirk. "You need two people to do sparring." He said. He didn't wait for her reply and started attacking her with the spear. Not one to back down from challenge, she too participate in this impromptu spar.

Hak thrusted the spear. "I heard something happened to you few days ago."

Yona dodged it, and then jumped behind. She swung her baton, which was again clashed with Hak's spear. "Mind telling me what happened?" he pushed her back, and for a moment Yona's stance got unstable. She righted her stance right away, rushing to Hak once again.

"It's nothing; just some stalker got kind of aggressive." She swung the baton rapidly, which was blocked by Hak. "Stalker?" almost all of it was blocked, some of that got passed through him. He dodged another thrust.

"Did you tell your parents?" he flexed his body and dodged her attack. Then he swung his spear, aiming at Yona's foot.

Yona jumped and threw her baton toward Hak. "If I did, it'll end up as a disaster." It was blocked by Hak, though barely as he was caught surprised.

They stopped for a while, panting. They were both sweating. Hak let a proud smile out while Yona wiped her sweats with her sleeve. "I can imagine." he threw back her baton, and resumed on taking his stance which was mimicked by Yona. Another moment later, they began exchanging blows again.

* * *

Far from the sparring duo, Soo-Won sat alone in the sidelines, watching them sparring. As he watched them, he felt an uneasy feeling surge inside _. 'They… they seem… different…'_ he thought.

It had been quite some time when he started to notice the different aura that both of his friends emitted. Their aura was different. It was like his father's vibe.

It wasn't that often in Hak's case; he only emitted that kind of aura whenever Yona was their topic. Most of the time, he could feel sadness coming out. There was also times went he could feel anger coming out. Times like that made him shivered. That was what he felt when he first met Hak. A sheer anger, directed to him. It was frightening. But he hardened his heart and still approached Hak with a smile. Whenever he remembered it, he could feel himself shivered again.

It was different with Yona though. As long as he could remember, Yona always emitted that kind of aura. At first, it felt cold, and the gaze directed to him was that of a superior one. Just by catching that stare, he became timid, as if he would be scold. But that aura gradually changed, it became warmer and saver. It felt as if Yona was protecting him, secretly. May be she didn't speak verbally, and maybe she didn't look like she had any interest in both him and Hak, but he knew that she was actually care. Her eyes didn't lie.

But that wasn't what Soo-won was worried about. He had this uneasy feeling, like both of them knew something that he didn't know. The knowing look that each one of them occasionally wore made him a little concern. He wanted to ask, but his gut told him that it would be pointless. They wouldn't tell him anything unless they are ready.

 _ **And he wanted to trust them, like how he wanted them to trust him.**_

He sighed inaudibly. He was drowning on his thought again. He looked back at his friends and noticed that both of them had finished their so-called spar. It seemed like he had been thinking too deeply as he didn't have any inkling on how their spar go on.

He saw Hak turned and faced him. "Soo-Won! What are you doing there?" he shouted. Soo-Won smiled and shook his head. He walked toward Hak.

"Nothing, just thinking a little." he said, making sure that his mask was perfectly in place.

Hak peered at him with a hard look. That moment, that mysterious aura was once again enveloped Hak. "Is something wrong, Hak?" Soo-won asked softly, though he knew he had been busted. He saw Hak sighed heavily.

Annoyed, Hak looked at Soo-Won with a tired gaze. He scratched his head in frustration. "This is where you should tell me what you thought about. We're friends, aren't we?" he said while frowning.

His question threw Soo-Won a little. It made him chuckled a little. He gave a sincere smile to Hak. "It's nothing, really. I just feel like both you and Yona are different." He admitted.

Hak looked at him weirdly. "Different?"

Soo-Won nodded. Crossing his hands, he looked at the sky, searching for a proper word to describe his feeling. "Like… not normal? I'm not sure how to explain It." he looked back at Hak, who did his thinking-pose as he nodded.

He looked back at Soo-Won while smirking. "Well, Yona-sama certainly is not normal." He said teasingly.

Soo-Won gave him a wry smile. "Both of you seems to… know something that I don't…" he said softly, eyes slightly clouded. But then he realized that he was basically complaining to Hak, which was a big NO in his dictionary.

"Ah! It's not like I don't like it or something! It's just that-" he stopped when he saw Hak raised an eyebrow. "-that I feel I'm the only one being left out here…" he had no choice but to tell the truth since he had been caught. He hid his face behind his hands, a little anxious on how Hak would take it.

And again, he was surprised. Instead of saying anything, Hak tousled his hair. His eyes opened wide. He snapped his head toward Hak. Hak was smiling and it was a sincere smile.

"Don't worry; you're not being left out. I was the one that walked too fast. Maybe I should slow down a little." Hak retracted his hand before crossing his hands. The spot on Soo-Won head felt warm. _'Is this how it felt if I had a brother?'_ it gave such a nice feeling for Soo-Won.

Soo-Won smiled brightly. "Nah, it's alright. I'll catch up to you." he proclaimed determinedly. Hearing that, Hak chuckled. "Or I could just drag you with me." He teased.

"Come on, Yona-sama has got impatient." He said as he walked toward a scowling Yona. And Soo-Won watched the both of them with a bright smile.

' _Maybe it'll be alright to trust them after all.'_

* * *

After that little incident with the ice, so far nothing accountable had happened in Yona's life. It had passed around two weeks since that incident. Nothing had happened _**yet**_. And that's what made her even more anxious than before. Why? Because for the sole reason that nothing happened, it was too peaceful that it scared her. _'Is it what people call: the calm before storm?'_

Maybe she had become paranoia, but her heart had been beating crazily for the few days. Not to mention that there would be some kind of party tomorrow, though for what, she had no idea. She could only groan as she felt the stalker gaze at her back.

* * *

 _ **-The day of festival-**_

Hak looked around the hall, trying to find the little bundle of red hair. "I don't see Yona-sama anywhere." He blurt out loud. Soo-Won, who was standing beside him, sighed a little.

"Yona doesn't like any kind of party, maybe she is in the garden? Want to go find her?" he asked Hak. He soon faced a frowning Hak.

"I can't. I need to do my round of greeting, that old man of mine is especially stubborn today, so I can't ditch the party." He grumbled in annoyance.

"Then I'll go on my own. I'll persuade her to come here." Soo-Won said, giving Hak a small pat on the shoulder.

Hak nodded in agreement. "Ah. If not, I'll catch you up as soon as I finish my round."

"Alright, enjoy the party, Hak!" Soo-Won said, waving to Hak before leaving the venue.

It wasn't a hard task to find Yona for she would only stayed in the back garden, way farther behind the main hall or even any main building in the castle. The garden was not hidden, but people rarely went there as it was too far from the main building. That's also the reason why it was the least protected area in the castle.

Soo-Won walked slowly while looking around. He spotted a mop of red hair under a tree, silently reading a book. _'Bingo!'_

"Yona! There you are!" he called loudly as he run to her. Yona glanced at him for a while before resumed reading. "Why don't you show up at the party? Everyone is asking 'bout you, you know, Hak too." Soo-Won said as he took a seat beside her.

Yona didn't look at him. "Don't feel like it." she mumbled as she kept reading. Suddenly she could feel her surrounding brighten. She looked back at Soo-Won and noticed that his face was brightening by two fold. She could practically saw imaginary flowers bloomed around him.

She looked at him ridiculously. "What?"

Soo-Won just shook his head. His smile was still there, or was it even brighter than before? "No, nothing! I'm just happy that you talked back!"

Yona sweat dropped. _'You are so simple.'_ She shook her head slightly.

"I'm not mute." She told him with a straight face. But Soo-Won pouted. "But you never talk back to me before…"

And the depressed mood gone after a second. "What's the change of heart?" he asked curiously.

Yona sighed. "My heart beats too fast."

It was the truth. Her heart hadn't calm down, and it drove her nuts. She couldn't stay still, her gut had been screaming for a few days now. She also forgot to bring her sword with her, making her internal alarm ringing even louder than before. But she was too lazy to go back. Not to mention, going back would mean being found out by her parents that she had been ditching the party.

Of course her reason made no sense to Soo-Won. "Huh?" he blinking for a few times in confusion, didn't understand in one bit.

And yet, Yona paid no mind in it. "Makes me more talkative than usual." She ended her so called explanation.

Soo-Won just dropped his head as he sighed. "You are not even close to talkative…"

Suddenly, Yona felt someone staring at her, and when she turned around, she noticed a silhouette in the corner. She felt uneasy, but she pretended as if she saw nothing. She cursed silently as she left her sword in her room. She kept glancing at the silhouette from time to time discreetly, which earned a puzzled look from Soo-Won.

"Is there anything wrong, Yona?" He asked, concerned was apparent in his voice. For a moment, Yona averted her attention to him, debating whether to tell him or not.

It was then, her internal danger alarm went haywire, and immediately, she looked back at the silhouette and saw something glinting was coming at a high speed toward them. By reflex, she grabbed Soo-Won and rolled away from the spot.

"Ah!" Soo-Won yelped. He was surprised to suddenly be yanked like that. He looked at Yona, and saw her grown pale as she looked behind him. Confused as to why, he turned around and spotted an arrow at his previous sitting place.

"Wha-what is…" his voice cracked a little. He could feel dread suddenly crawled inside him, pushing against him like an invisible gale. His stomach locked up tight, nothing getting in or out. He turned around and looked at Yona. He noticed that her gaze was really intense, her whole body tense, her teeth locked tight together.

Suddenly she held his hand tightly and started to run, dragging him along with her.

"Run!" she shouted between breathe.

Soo-Won didn't know where they are running to, he didn't ask either. He only ran alongside Yona, for he didn't know what else he could do. Questions were coming inside his mind and yet, he couldn't think of any answer.

Yona eyes were sweeping the entire surrounding furiously, searching for any guard that was on standby, and yet, she couldn't find anyone at all. "Where the heck were the guards when we need them?!" she shouted frustrated.

"They are guarding the gate! There are a lot of people coming, so the General assigned more guards at the gate!" Soo-Won answered her in equally loud voice. He had already panting from the running, and his legs had started to shake since he wasn't used to running this fast. He would surely fall if Yona didn't keep helping him straighten himself.

"Hah! Guarding my ass! If they are really guarding, how come there could be an assassin on the corner?!" Yona growled. Angry cannot even start to describe her emotion right now. She was downright pissed, and she would let them know that it was not good to make her pissed.

Soo-Won was startled by Yona's choice of word. "W-well… I… don't know what to say?" he said, unsure how to reply.

He never knew that Yona could actually speak in a not-so-polite word, heck, this was the first time Yona had actually spoken such a long sentenced to him. He would feel really happy if not for the fact that they were in danger.

His head was dizzy from the continuous turn Yona made; they even ran through unknown passage. It was all like a maze, although he didn't understand why Yona would go through all the effort of going on narrow passage instead of just use the hallway. Thank goodness that their body was small enough to fit on those passage or even holes. He wouldn't question her though, he had a feeling that Yona knew exactly what she was doing.

They stopped at one narrow hallway to catch a breath. Yona hold out her head, and looked around. He spotted the ballroom, which is far away then their spot right now.

"Damn it. The most protected place is way too far from here. We'll be capture before even arriving there." She clicked her tongue irritated, before she sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I always know that I was born with zero luckiness, but still, this is sucks."

Soo-Won looked at Yona in a wonder. "You sure are talkative today, Yona." He said, sparkles were seen around his face. Hearing him, Yona scoffed.

"Blame my racing heart for that." She grumbled. "This is not even half of how talkative I can be." She still remembered how talkative she used to be, well, when she was still a happy-go-lucky person of course.

Soo-Won gasped. "That will be completely out of character of you!" he exclaimed dramatically which only earned a deadpanned look from Yona.

She startled a little when she faintly heard a quick footsteps. As trained as the assassin was, they still produced footstep's sound, even when it was near silent one. She grabbed Soo-Won hand and dragged him as quick as she could. "Save your breath for running, idiot!"

They ran passed rooms and rooms, turn into a corner, and arrived at a dead end.

"This. Is. Not. Good." Yona hissed. She had been too focus on getting away from the stalker that she didn't paid any attention to her surrounding, which land her to this place. She glanced at Soo-Won, and saw him wearing a concern expression as he tried to catch his breath. 'Damn!'

She focused on her hearing, and noticed that the pursuer was nearing, even after all of her effort to confuse him. She stilled herself for the risk that she was taking, and ran out from that hallway to another big hallway, dragging Soo-Won with her. Looking around, she found an unused room behind the corner, and rushed inside. Both of them slumped to the ground, panting hard.

She heard another faint footstep. It seemed like there were more than one pursuer. She gritted her teeth. She gave the room a quick glance. She knew from the first glance that this was study room, but whose, she didn't have any idea. She tried to find somewhere for them to hide, at least until both of them could run away again.

Her musing was broken by Soo-Won's small voice. "You think he will find us here?"

She stared at him; an uneasy smile was plastered on his face. She knew that despite wearing a smile, inside, the blonde kid was rather anxious. After all, he is still a young kid who never experienced such a frightening event, one that played with life. But she knew for one thing that he was a strong kid, that he could handle the truth that she would deliver.

She gave him a nod. "Absolutely. Why? Simple. We left trail." She made it sound so simple that Soo-Won could only give her a desperate look.

He was worried and concerned; he had never met any situation like this. He was quite surprised when he saw Yona still calm enough to lead the way. He was pretty sure that Yona also felt the same anxious as he did, judging from how Yona narrowed her eyes every now and then.

He was going to ask something when Yona suddenly clamped his mouth and quickly dragged him to small space behind the bookshelf. It was not comfortable in the least. It was cramped, with both of them hiding there, even if their body is still small.

Yona hadn't removed her hand from his mouth yet. He was going to make some gesture to her, when he noticed she narrowed her eyes again. He tried to follow her gaze. She was looking at the door intently through a small hole on the bookshelf. Indeed, he could hear some murmurs here and there, and he could feel dread settled down on his chest.

Time passed slowly. Constance stayed hidden within the darkness, feeling every beat of their heart pounding inside his chest. The room was as quiet as it was dark, with only one sound to be heard; the sound of their own pulse throbbing in their ears.

Suddenly, the serenity of silence surrendered to the deathly scream of hinges, as the door opposite them was slowly prized open. A narrow stream of light gracefully meandered through the room, and a shadow quickly followed.

Though Soo-Won didn't show it, in reality, he was scared.

Constance held his breathe, daring not to make a sound. Each second seemed to last an eternity as he lay perfectly still listening to the footsteps of the intruder, which had muted the pounding of his pulse.

' _God… please don't let them find us here!'_

* * *

 _ **To be Continued**_

* * *

 **Oh well, that's it for this chapter~ I told you that we would get into climax, didn't I? but then I found out that it was way too long for it to be fit into one chapter... so I need to cut it down. Haha...**

 **Anyway, don't forget to review, 'kay? Any comment, critique, and advice are welcome! :D**

 **Thank you for those who had review, favorite, and follow this story!**

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 ***Ld-G sign out***


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, readers~ Good day to you all~ :D**

 **This is the newest update, hope you enjoy this chapter~**

 **Disclaimer : Akatsuki no Yona is not mine in anything.**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **ASSASINATION ARC**

-PART 5-

* * *

The shadow creeps closer and closer before it abruptly stopped. "Oi, Brat. What the heck are you doing there? If you have time to lazy around, go find those kids before they went too far." There came a harsh cold bark, followed by a growl, before the intruder went out completely.

Both Yona and Soo-Won stayed still for a few moments, before they relaxed, relief washed over their mind. "That was close…" Yona mumbled as she let out her breath. She doesn't even realize that she had held her breath this whole time.

"Uhhh"

She blinked as she looked at Soo-Won. She realized that she was still clamping Soo-Won's mouth. "Ah. Sorry." She said in a small voice as she retracted her hand, letting Soo-Won took a deep breath.

"I thought I was going to die…" he said as he let out a sigh. He looked back at Yona and noticed that she had gone out from their hiding place.

"Have they gone for good?" he asked in whisper, as he too followed Yona out from the small place. Yona didn't even spare him a glance. She just shrugged.

"Who knows? At least, we haven't die yet." She said. She sat down, leaning on one bookshelf; frowns were visible on her face.

' _Plan. We need plan.'_

* * *

Yi-An eyed the weapon with bleak red eyes, the eyes of a hunter framed in the passionless face of an executioner. His blunt hands were steady as they lifted the knives and inspected them. Carefully he laid the knives down on the floor and looked out through the hole in the brickwork to the garden below.

To the assassin it was just like another day in the office. Except his office was a windy roof-top overlooking his target's location. His tools, rather than those papers and brushes, was a state-of-the-art knives and swords. He took no satisfaction in the killing, but he took enormous pride in getting a good clean kill. He had a reputation to maintain and that reputation guaranteed his exorbitant fee.

He maintained a cool detachment to his targets. Mostly he preferred not to think of them, but when he did, it was as if they were already dead - walking meat bags waiting to be despatched to the butcher. He thought of them as meeting their destiny and he was merely the conduit. Everyone has to die sometime, and he considered it a good way to go. No illness, no drawn-out goodbyes. They were just happy and oblivious one second and gone the next. Simple. Convenient. Painless.

He let out a sad sigh. In truth, He preferred not to assassinate people, he preferred to be a diplomat but of course times called for it.

Being an assassin had its perks. A new village every week, luxury life with no dishes or chores, new clothes every day. The assassin was as agile as a monkey, although he preferred to think of himself as a ninja. When he had embarked on his profession, he hadn't been certain it was the right choice for him. He had thought an assassin had to be cruel and cold-hearted, which wasn't him at all. He was just efficient, like a secretary. It's just that instead of dispatching letters and reports, he dispatched people to whatever came after this life.

Life has been good. Well, at least it was, until he landed himself in this damn job and this damn partner, a green-horn assassin who knew nothing about assassination at all.

It was supposed to be an easy kill, the target was supposed to be a freaking four years old child. He was supposed to be at a teahouse now, drinking tea and eating dango. But no, that useless partner of his just felt the need to announce their job by shooting the target, alarming the target of their objective completely. What suck even more was the fact that the target got out alive, a fatal mistake for an assassin.

He bit down the annoyed growl. He already knew that it is not an easy job as soon as he spotted his target. The subtle cold glance from the kid gave him chills. Not to mention, the glance was directed precisely toward him. That was not a glance that could be made by a kid, much less from a freaking four years old kid. No, it was the eyes of a damn war veteran, one that sharper enough to kill someone on spot.

His decades of experiences had taught him how to assess his target on spot. This time, He came into this crazy conclusion. His target was a dangerous one, not a damn normal four-year-old kid. And that moment, he already knew that he was screwed, for good.

His damn partner was not helping either. What with the brat being cocky and arrogant, he could only surrender himself to the course of fate.

True enough, this annoying brat just had the nerve to abort the plan and to do as he pleased. And now, he was stuck on chasing the target and the target's cousin, who was not the target. Outside, he looked calm, but inside, he cursed loudly. It was supposed to be a one day job, but then it turned out to be weeks and even then, their objective had yet been achieved.

He knew that the kids were inside that study room, he could just barged in and killed them inside, ending this cat and mouse game. But still, they are _**kids**_ , even if one of them was considered dangerous.

Don't take him wrong. He might be an assassin, but he also had his own policy. It was against his policy to kill kids, thus the reason of his delay in completing his objective. He had thought of using mild poison to the target, a fast reaction one but not too deadly. Then he would go take his money and be gone from there.

But life was not easy. And his whole plan was screwed by that brat. Now, he needed another plan to avoid killing the kids but at the same time getting paid. And if he was lucky enough, disposing that arrogant brat too, after all, the same brat was the source of his headache this few weeks.

* * *

The party inside the main hall had yet to end; in fact, it became more hectic as the sky grew darker. Hak looked around the crowd in annoyance. _'Seems like Soo-Won failed to drag Hime-sama here.'_

He spotted Mundok in the corner of the hall, he grinned slightly. _'Nah… It'll be okay for me to ditch now, I've finished my task anyway.'_ With that thought, he slipped away from the hall to search for his two troublesome friends.

He had just walked two steps away from the hall when suddenly someone stood before him. He looked up and saw that it was none other than the Earth tribe's General, Lee Geun-Tae. "Yo, Kid! Ditching the party, aren't you?" he said with an easy going smirk.

Hak sighed inwardly. "What are you doing here, General Geun-Tae?" he asked as he looked at Geun-Tae blankly.

"Can't I go anywhere I like, brat?" another smirk was given.

Hak rolled his eyes. This conversation was wasting his time, but he couldn't just walk away. Things wouldn't go so well if it reached Mundok's ear. He looked back at the General and remembered a few chat that he heard before. "I thought you are searching for blooming flower?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, all the flowers are either not bloom yet or already been plucked." Guen-Tae shrugged and answered with that laid back demeanor of his, kind of amused by the disgusted face that Hak's made.

Enough of the small pleasantries, Hak excused himself. "Well then, good luck in finding another rose then." he bowed before walked pass Geun-Tae.

As he walked, he could feel that someone was following him. Looking back again, he noticed that the General was walking right behind him. "Why are you coming with me, General Geun-Tae?" he asked while scowling.

Again, Geun-Tae shrugged. "It seems more interesting than the party." That annoying smirk was still there.

Hak could feel vein popped at his head. "What is?"

"That little chibi, of course. You are meeting her, aren't you?" Geun-Tae said while pointing at Hak. His trademark grin lingered on his face.

Hak scowled even deeper than before. "Yona-sama? Have you met her?"

"Nah, though I've heard a lot of rumors, and from the best source too. Kind of intriguing, if I were to say." Geun-Tae looked really interested, his eyes shone brightly as if he was winning a jackpot.

Hak only raised an eyebrow. "Best source?"

"Yeah, from the best of all, The King himself." Geun-Tae nodded, proud was apparent on his expression as he answered.

Hak let out a tired sigh. _'No wonder.'_ He knew that Geun-Tae really looked up to The King; it wouldn't be strange for him to find Yona intriguing if The King himself was the one that tell Geun-Tae stories about Yona.

"Ah. The King and Yona-sama have a close relationship." Hak said. That sentence was said with a bitter sweet feeling. Unconsciously, he smiled wryly. _'Their relationship is even closer than the one I shared with her.'_

Geun-Tae obviously didn't know Hak's inner conflict, but he could see the cloudy expression, even if it was gone in a second, as if it had never been there at all.

"So, anymore complain?" he asked Hak, which earned him a hard stare.

Hak actually didn't want Geun-Tae to meet with Yona. Who knows what Yona will do if people found her hiding spot. She'll throw a fit, silently. But he remembered again what Yona told him before.

" _It's nothing; just some stalker got kind of aggressive."_

He narrowed his eyes. _'Better have back up than nothing.'_

He looked back at Geun-Tae, who looked back at him expectantly. "No, not really." He could take whatever things Yona would throw at him later, but now, he would rather be safe than sorry. If there is anything that hadn't change at all, it was the fact that Yona is a trouble magnet.

* * *

Back with Yona and Soo-Won.

Yona was still formulating a plan when Soo-Won suddenly talked. "That's strange." He said, confusion was apparent in his voice. Yona shot him a glance from the corner of her eyes.

"They are professional assassins, right? But why they seem like going easy on us?" Soo-Won asked, frowning.

Yona shrugged. She looked at the ceiling while thinking of a few number of reasons. "Maybe I'm their only target and got a strict order to only kill me. Or they actually have soft spot for children, which I doubt they do."

Yeah, it would be so wrong if the assassins were actually caring for children. If so, they wouldn't even take this job, like at all.

She looked again at Soo-Won. "I have a plan." The hardened look made Soo-Won anxious, as if Yona was going to deliver a grave news. Uneasiness settled inside his heart.

"I bet I wouldn't like that plan very much." He mumbled.

For a moment, Yona's eyes softened. She shook her head slightly. "…no, you wouldn't at all." She said with a soft voice, confirming Soo-Won's prediction.

He closed his eyes. He already had inkling on what her plan is and he didn't like it in one bit. But still, he needed confirmation. He opened his eyes and looked at Yona. "Better hear this out then."

"We will separate."

Soo-Won sighed. The crease between his brows even more pronounced than before. "I knew it." it felt as if he got a death penalty and he didn't actually need to hear the rest of the plan anymore to know whatever Yona was thinking. But still, he kept his mouth shut and still listened to her.

"We have no choice. We can't possibly hide here forever. Who knows when people will find us, or worst, those assassins come back here. And we also cannot just run. Sooner or later, they'll catch up to us. We'll need to ask for help." She explained which earned a small nod from Soo-Won.

"I get it. One of us will distract them, and the other will run to ask for help." He summarized.

"Yeah. That's the only way."

And he knew who will do which for this plan to succeed.

"I'll distract them." Came the one sentence that he had been dreaded all this time. "You go find help, Soo-Won."

He looked at Yona with a wide eyes, he shook his head profusely. "You are nuts! I couldn't possibly-!" even if he had known what Yona would suggest, it didn't mean that he would just go along with it. He couldn't just let Yona face these dangerous men alone.

"I'm their main target, Soo-Won. I'm the best bait we have here." Yona reasoned.

"And left you alone to face them?! I know your plan is sound, but that's still-!"

"Don't worry. I won't die. I'm too young to die. And I still have a lot of unfinished business." Determination flashed inside Yona's eyes. In that instant, Soo-Won knew that Yona wouldn't change her mind anymore. But still, he couldn't help but worried. He couldn't even stare back at Yona and chose to look at the ground instead.

"Soo-Won."

Suddenly, he felt small hands were placed at his shoulder. He looked up and saw Yona's hardened eyes once again, the same eyes that his father gave him. in a sudden, it felt as if he saw someone else in Yona, a woman who looked so much like Yona but far older than her. When he blinked again, the image had gone.

"Can you trust me like how I trust you with my life?"

Another tense moment had settled between the both of them. In the end, Soo-Won yielded. "alright." He said grimly.

Yona took back her hands before standing up. "I'll get out first to find those two and distract them. You should wait until you didn't hear any footsteps anymore before you get out."

Soo-Won just nodded. He couldn't trust his voice anymore.

"You know your way around, right?"

Another nod was given without any eye contact.

"Bring help to the north, I'll try to bring them as close to the gate as possible. But if you don't find me there, I might still be around the North Garden. "As soon as she finished, she turned to the door.

Before she could walk out, she was wrapped in a tight embrace.

"Promise me not to die, Yona." She could hear the tiny cracked voice coming from her cousin. She squeezed his hands to reassure him.

"I promise that I will not die before help arrives, so you better bring help as fast as you can."

The arm around her gone slack, and she wasted no time to get out from the room before Soo-Won changed his mind again.

* * *

Inside the room, Soo-Won was counting in his head. While counting, he couldn't help but thinking back at the image he saw. It looked exactly like an older version of Yona. Why could he suddenly get an image like that? He shook his head, clearing his head.

' _It's not the time to think about It.'_ he readied himself. By the time he counted to one hundred, he ran out of the room as quick as possible. He didn't bother to look around; he focused on running to the main hall. He couldn't fail Yona here, not now, not ever.

* * *

Yona was running like her life depended on it. Her feet slipped outwards on the snow as she rounded the corner, the cold evening air shocking her throat and lungs as she inhaled deeper, faster. With each footfall, a jarring pain shot ankle to knee, ankle to knee. Her heart beat frantically, all or nothing. Fail and her whole body would pay the price, run and the damage was limited mostly to her shins and knees. She knew this castle better than those assassins did, and she was sure she could at least stall time till Soo-Won came with back-up.

Being chased was nothing like those story books she had read once or twice before. The main character looked heroic, sexy and in command of the situation. Reality was far removed from that pretty version of running to save your skin. Well, at least this will be a good exercise for her, it keeps her fit, although she would be lying if her heart didn't pound, in fact it was the other way around.

She kept running but she knew her time was up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something sharp and long coming toward her. She tried to dodge it but she couldn't dodge it completely. It scratched her shoulder, making a gush of red liquid out from her shoulder. She turned on one corner, and stopped to inspect the wound.

Nothing big, nothing deep, but the blood was flowing rapidly.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Don't think I'm going to let this go like this." She hissed.

"I will not lose… in this game of cat and mouse, even if I'm the mouse." She looked back, noting the silhouette not far away; determination was shown in her eyes.

"After all, mouse is a small version of a tricky sly fox."

* * *

Soo-Won was running desperately. Heart pounding, his panicked breath like thunder in his ears, thighs burning, lungs on fire, praying not to trip. Adrenaline almost bursting through his skin, eyes wide with fear, screams locked in his throat.

He was desperate. In his hand was the life of his dear cousin. He needed to call for help as quick as possible. But he was still far from the main hall; it would at least need ten to fifteen minutes more for him to reach there in his current speed. And by then, there would be no telling on what Yona would become.

He prayed and prayed for someone to show up, someone that he could ask for help. And when he saw someone coming toward him, he knew that his prayer was answered. He had never felt as relieved as now, nor had he ever felt as He sped up a little, focusing on the people, who he had recognize as Hak and General Geun-Tae.

Hak noticed Soo-Won run toward him and waved.

"Soo-Won! There you are. We've been searching for you- whoa!" he fell to ground as Soo-Won crashed him. Geun-Tae looked at both of them with an amused look, before he noticed Soo-Won frantic expression.

"Hak!" Soo-won shouted as soon as he looked at Hak in panic. "it's bad, Yona! She-! You need to-!" he frantically tried to explained between his breaths. Yona's name had drawn Hak absolute attention, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Whoa whoa, calm down kid. Take a deep breath first." Taking a pity on the blonde kid, Geun-Tae tried to calm him down. Soo-Won took a few deep breaths and trying to steady his breath, before he eyed both Hak and Geun-Tae. The seriousness and panic had yet to left from his eyes.

"Yona! Yona is in danger!" he announced.

* * *

Yona had a fair share of being hunted in her previous life. Her head alone had actually priced for quite a fortune, the flee-on-sight order had been issued by quite a number of leader too. But she had never ever come across an assassin like that pig, who seemed only knew how to charge ahead. That stupid pig didn't even know about how to be subtle, unlike his partner. Didn't he know that subtlety and efficiency were two things that come along with the term _**assassin**_?

She ran her hand around her abdomen. She let out a groan, feeling the pain that soon follow the gesture.

The pain throbbed in her guts, it was deep and warm, but not in a nice way. It felt as if someone had their hand in there and was squeezing her organs. There was no blood anywhere but she had a feeling that her abdomen was purple and lumpy where it should be smooth.

Her internal alarm flared up and she wasted no time to dodge the incoming attack. Her attacker was none other the big fat no-good assassin who was better off became a bandit instead. "Damn you, brat, giving me trouble every now and then. Guess I should charge a higher price for this job." The pig said with a sinister grin.

In the next second, a sword came flying toward Yona. She had no time to dodge, resulting on another scratch on her body.

"Ah, seems like I missed. The next one will not, I promised." Come the wicked smirk. From then on, Yona knew that she was facing a dark mad psychopath. She bit her bottom lip as she looked at the assassin grimly. She had no choice but to defeat this one first. Better now than later when the other assassin found them.

Not a moment later, another series of attack were sent toward Yona. She tried to dodge, but since the assassin was fast, she couldn't dodge all of it. As a result, she took a mighty slash on her back. Cuts were formed on her arms and legs.

She grabbed a few stones and threw it toward the assassin. Some of them missed while some of were hit him. But it didn't stop him at all. He threw a few knives; one of them was caught by Yona, injuring her hand on the process.

It was hard for her to keep standing with the injuries that she sustained, but still she stand upright, not letting even a tiny weakness showed up. Gripping on the knife, she ran towards the assassin, flicked her body on the opposite direction of the sword's swing, and then kicked the assassin right on the middle of his legs. She made sure to kick it as hard as she could muster.

The assassins yelled out curses as he doubled over to the ground. Taking this chance, she slashed on his body. He furiously glared at her. Ignoring his pain, he swung his sword violently, which was barely avoided by Yona.

He rushed toward her, even quicker than before, and threw a bunch of knives toward her. It managed to trip Yona. Then, he made a motion to stab her. "Die!"

She managed to roll out of the way just in time that the sword met the earth. A sudden gush of pain jolted throughout her body. Her stomach ached, her arms lost tension and her legs began to weaken. _'He will not get the better of me,'_ she thought as she stood up. Her tongue was soaked in the taste of blood. Her head was pounding. She quickly picked up the scattered knives and steadied her stance.

"I promised someone that I will not die just yet."

With the knives, she delivered a few cuts, and stabbed his legs, earning another yelp. She could see the rage in his eyes. He grabbed her neck and choked her. Mustering her last energy, she stabbed his hand before dragged the knife across his arm, making a deep cut.

He yelled in pain, letting Yona's go as he retracted his arm. Yona coughed as she regained her breath. "And… I'm not… going to… break it…" not letting any chance go, she rushed to the assassin and slashed him right at the neck, killing him all at once. Blood was sprayed out from the wound, wetting her in and out, from hair to toe.

She was panting. She hadn't work herself as much as this for the past few years. Obviously her body can't keep up with her mind. She stared at the lifeless body. Her first kill in this life. The once scarlet blood that had flowed so freely from the severed neck now lay in pools around the corpse and soaked into his light cotton clothing like some dummy that she once made for fun. But this one was real. And it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

* * *

She left that dead body behind and settled to hid herself behind a giant tree in the corner. The dark red blood made its way out of her body. It oozed between the spaces between her fingers as she covered her wound with a shaky hand. Her vision became blurrier and all she could see was the scarlet blood that once flowed in her veins. As she watched the blood flowed, she chuckled bitterly. _'Each drop of blood slowly takes away the life in me, leaving me pale and weak, yet defying death,'_ she thought.

It became harder and harder for her to breath. She closed her eyes, thinking back about her victim before. _'I wonder if he felt the same way. But he looked different. His clothes were blood stained, but his blood wasn't scarlet like mine. It was too dark for red, too light for maroon. I don't know if there's a name for that colour, or maybe it doesn't matter.'_ She felt like laughing, but instead of laugh, it was cough. A painful cough.

After regaining her breath, she sighed heavily. "Man… I've just come back and enjoy peaceful life for around 4 years, and then these shitty things happen… my delicate body was going to be painted with scars again. Wow. Just wow."

She took another big gulp of air. "Ah… I missed my sword~ my lovely sword~" she hummed a little, wanting to let the stress out of her system. Her body had screamed for her to stop, but she knew she had no choice in this regard.

"You are really troublesome."

The newest guest was the reason.

She turned her head a little toward her guest, noting his relax demeanour. She took her time into assessing this new comer. A middle-aged man, he had a fit and tall body. The way his eyes shone and his overall movements told Yona that this one was no joke. She silently cursed. There is no way she could get away from this one, much less killing him. She was heavily injured too.

She gave him a wry smirk. "Thanks for the compliment." They both knew that it wasn't really a compliment, though.

Yona stood up. Her legs was shaking, it was actually hard for to even stand up steadily. But her face was void of painful expression, as if there were no injuries at all. Of course, it was alarming.

Yi-An narrowed his eyes. He had witnessed her fight before from afar. He had even thought of lending a hand in it, but it was all unnecessary attempts, as the child could not only hold her ground, but also defeated her opponent. To be honest, it was not only amazed, but also frightened him. He couldn't get into his head that the one stood in front of him was a mere four years old child. True, her movements lacked fluidness, strength and also speed. But the way she moved was different than an amateur. It was more like an injured soldier rather than a child's desperate movement. And that was what frightened Yi-An the most.

"How can you stand with wounds like that?" he asked, carefully fingering his sword, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Yona.

Yona let out a chuckled. _'I've had worse than this before, one in which I need to endure for a whole day of battle. Oh well, it's not like he need to know that.'_

She smirked. "Wound? Ah, this? It's just a scratch, nothing big." She shrugged nonchalantly as she took a grip on the sword which she took from her victim, not even hiding her action.

Yi-An narrowed his eyes as he, too, unsheathed out his sword. His plan now was making the kid unconscious before left the scene. But before that, he might as well assess her skill first.

"Then let me give you a much bigger scratch."

Yona gave him a challenging smirk. "I'd like to see you try."

Their swords gleamed in the cool moon light. Yona knew that only one would walk away from this. Her sword was stained with blood from before, in contrast with the clean sword her opponent held. Yona shuffled to the side and waited in attack, and, possibly, inevitable death.

Yi-An charged. Then, Yona dodged to the side in one move. Her enemy swivelled in her direction. His menacing eyes were a blazing red when he thrust his sword forward, only to be met by Yona's sword. Both weapon met in the air with a resounding 'clang'. In that short moment, Yona knew that the man was a master swordsman.

Yona gritted her teeth. Her strength was no match with her opponent's strength. But for whatever reason, that man held back his strength, which half was relieving her, and half was angering her. _'If I am to die, I shall fight to the last breath.'_ With renewed vigour, she slashed her blade back and forth. Her wound began bleeding openly.

Yi-An felt the need to praise the young kid. Despite the injuries that she sustained, she could still move as steady as she previously did when she fought that brat. Not to mention, unlike other people he had fought before, there never once came the word _**honour**_ from the kid's mouth. It was as if she knew all along that he was a person that didn't abide on honour or code.

Those soldiers and nobles always said that they fought with honour. But in actual reality, when it comes to the fight, especially in assassination, there's no honour, no code. All that matters is the win and they take nothing for granted.

There was times when instead of killing target, he was asked to retrieved something. At those times, he would cover the target's exit, there's nowhere to run. He'd offer them peace first, a chance to surrender on his terms, something they would of course refuse. Then the first blow came, a single arrow shot in their leader's heart. Then the negotiation restarted with the second in command. Perhaps it wasn't a fair fight, but was there anything fair in this world? After all, this world is brutal and cruel.

Suddenly, their fight was interrupted with a shout. "Hime-sama!"

"Hak?" Involuntarily, Yona widened her eyes a little. It was as if her ears were playing tricks on her. The Hak in this timeline never call her _**Hime-sama**_ , he always called her _**Yona-sama.**_ But why did she hear it? Did the blood lost made her hallucinate?

Yona blinked her eyes, her blurry vision didn't help one bit. Her focus wavered a little as she tried to find the source of the voice. She let her guard down a little, and Yi-An didn't let go this opportunity. He was quick to deliver a cut on her stomach, not too deep to kill but not too light to be ignored either. It jolted Yona, and she stumbled behind.

That made Hak raged. He sped up to Yi-An and delivered a punch, which was dodge easily. He was going to attack Yi-An, if not for Geun-Tae who stopped him.

"Oi! Kid!" Geun-Tae said as he stood in front of Hak while eyeing Yi-An dangerously. "Go take a look at Yona-sama first." Geun-Tae's gaze never left Yi-An.

Immediately, Hak remembered about Yona. He snapped his head toward her and rushed to her side. "Yona-sama." Yona could barely hold herself up. With her blurry gaze, Hak's image looked exactly like her Hak. Warmth surged inside her heart as she tried to smile to him.

As soon as he arrived, Yona collapsed in his embrace. He looked at her in alarm, but she let a tiny smile graced her face. "Don't … worry… I'm alright…" she said slowly in a small voice.

He held her body gently, as if holding a fragile little thing. He looked at her body, inspecting her state of injuries. Her head was injured; her face was adorned with cuts and bruises. The now browning blood had drizzled down her face like so much rain down a window pane. Cuts and slashes marrying her body, her clothes was wet in red, it was so obvious that she was not alright at all.

Burning rage hissed through his body like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release in the form of unwanted violence. It was like a volcano erupting; fury sweeping off him like ferocious waves.

When he turned at last to face Yi-An, His eyes were narrowed, rigid, cold, hard. His lethal stare felt painful and piercing, as if his glare was tearing Yi-An heart apart with a blinding teal light. A final glance at his furious eyes confirmed Yi-An possible outcome. He was going to kill Yi-An, no doubt in it. In that moment Yi-An knew today was his unlucky day. Oh well, his luck had already run out as soon as he accepted this job anyway.

And now he was even unluckier. He had a furious kid ready to bite his head off and one of the strongest General ready to deliver his divine punishment. He was absolutely screwed.

"You… what the hell do you think you are doing?!" Hak growled in raged.

The question was met with a heavy silence.

* * *

Yona felt her body grew heavier and weaker. The blood lost made her feel dizzy. Her stomach felt sick and then one by one she lost control of her limbs until finally her head slumped. The pain was not even registered in her mind anymore. She could still hear, but she could control none of her body. Her vision got even blurrier until dark consumed her completely. Then, like a ghost, she slipped into a coma with death not far away.

* * *

 **To be continued**

* * *

 **We'll soon reach the end of the this Arc~ I think one more chapter before we could move on to the next Arc. ;)**

 **So, I'll talk a little about 'Yi-An'. He is actually an OC that I created that based on 'Kirigakure Saizo' in an otome game called 'Samurai Love Ballad: Party' by Voltage Inc. I changed his personality to fit this story though, but his appearance was like that. You could check him out if you are curious~ he was handsome, btw! ;)**

 **Oh right, my university will start on Sept 13** **th** **. That means I couldn't update every two weeks anymore. So I'll change my update schedule into once a month. I'll see if I can update the next chapter in two weeks time, so I could end this Arc first before we move to the next Arc with a new schedule.**

 **Alright, minna, don't forget to review, 'kay? Any comment, critiques, and advices is deeply welcome! :D**

 **Thank you for those who had reviewed, favourite, and follow this story!**

 **Bookgirl18:** I'm glad that you enjoyed it! ^^ Oh wow, you would make a great detective, reader-san. (O-O) Uh oh, I shouldn't say anything! It'll spoil the fun~ ;)

 **M-Angel 05:** I'm glad that you loved it! :D Nah, I don't think it would do any harm to him. I felt that his heart is actually as hard as an iron… =w=

 **Sage McGavin:** Curious, aren't we? :3 all will be answered later~ if I told you, it won't be fun anymore~ XD

 **Afiana Arch :** I'm glad that you enjoyed it! :D Hope you enjoyed the next one as well!

 **Unknown :** Haha… It actually depends on where I want to cut it. most chapters is around 5k words, though sometimes it could be higher or lower than 5k. but I don't think it was long. There are other author who write around 10k words per chapter. -.- Anyway, thank you for loving my story! :D

 **Kanda Yuuki :** Guess then, reader-san! :D Will he or will he not tell her? *evil*

 **Seaofhope :** this is the newest update! Hope you enjoy it as well! :D

 **Deviedra :** Thank you for loving my story! :D I like writing the King too! Maybe because I'm the one that set his personality? It felt easier to write about him than to write the other character.

 **Minako213 :** This is the newest update~ ^^ enjoy~

 **See you guys on Oct 8** **th** **. Hopefully I could update by Sept 24** **th** **. No promise, though.**

 **Ld-G sign out.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone~ It's been a long time~ :D**

 **I'm so sorry that I need to postpone the update… . My life had been crazy since the new semester started, with lots of assignments and tests. (TTATT)**

 **Enough of my rambling. Let's proceed to the story, shall we?**

 **Hope you all enjoy this chapter! :D**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own AnY in any kind.**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **ASSASINATION ARC**

-LAST PART-

* * *

One second passed. Two seconds passed. Three seconds passed. There was no sound, no movement, no talking… the tension on the air was so heavy that it could be sliced with a knife. But no-one moved and no-one spoke.

Hak would had already rushed toward Yi-An if he didn't felt the sudden heaviness on his arm. He glanced down at Yona and found that her body had slumped against him. His face grown pale, as pale as sheet, while his heart was racing. His breath grew frantic as he checked Yona's breathe.

She was still breathing.

He let out a relieved sigh. He almost thought that he had lost her. He threw a deathly glare toward Yi-An. His anger had yet to dissipate.

But his view was blocked by none other than General Geun-Tae. Geun-Tae gave him a side glance before focusing completely on Yi-An.

"Save it for later, kid. Yona-sama is more important right now." He reminded Hak. "Bring her back. I'll clean this mess."

Hak stared long and hard on the General's back. He wanted to give this damn assassin a piece of his mind, but he also knew that Yona was in danger. Yona was always his first priority; anything else didn't matter to him.

He gave Geun-Tae a nod before carrying Yona on his back and rushed back to the main building. He trust Geun-Tae would be able to handle this mess, and he need to find help as fast as he can.

Now that Hak had gone, there was only Geun-Tae and Yi-An alone. Geun-Tae knew that he was on disadvantage as he held no weapon, as opposed to the man in front of him. But where is the thrill if everything is easy for him? This will become a nice challenge once in a while.

He looked at Yi-An with a menacing stare as he smirked.

"Now, let's have a nice chat, shall we?"

The wind blew hard, and the moon was shadowed by the clouds, but he could see the cold blank stare from the assassin. It made him grin even wider.

Yeah, this is a nice challenge.

* * *

 _I had a dream._

 _In the dream, the sky was blue, the birds were singing and there was a bee on clover nearby. The streams ran clear and there were fish in the river. Next to me was a small boy and he told me how he saw the world. His answers to my questions were so precious. Once, I asked him if we should care for the world. He said "Yes" like he was surprised I should even had to ask._

 _But then, he was the one that crushed my world._

* * *

The main hall was in sight. With all his last energy, Soo-Won barged into the room. He was panting heavily; sweating so hard that his clothes was all wet in and out. He glanced across frantically as he searched for the king. He remembered that Hak specifically told him to ask the king, his grandfather for help.

He looked around as he walked slowly, looking for him. he was already in panic since he knew that he had ran out of time, but with all the people in the room, it was quite hard to find the king, which is really frustrating. It was through luck that he spot the king, his grandfather, who is talking with other guest on the corner.

He ran there and clenched the king's robe. "Grandfather!" he called a little loudly, earning a glance from the other guests, but Soo-Won paid no mind on them. He only focused on the King, wanting to tell him everything that had happened.

King Joo-Nam looked at him and narrowed his eyes. He put his big hand on Soo-Won's head as he looked at him gently. "What's wrong, young one?" he asked softly.

Soo-Won took a big gulp before breaking the news. "Yona… Yona is in danger! Please, please help her!" he begged, desperately.

The other guest looked at each other confusedly. "What kind of danger…"

King Joo-Nam only needed one look at Soo-Won's eyes to know the dire of this situation. "Mundok." He called. He gave the said person a side glance, which was returned with a bow. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

Mundok turned to Soo-Won. "Where is she, Soo-Won-sama?" He asked.

"She told me that she would be around north garden. Hak and General Geun-Tae had head there, but…" Soo-Won trailed.

King Joo-Nam nodded. He addressed Mundok once again. "Bring physician with you, Mundok, just in case." He said. Mundok gave him a nod of comply before heading out from the room.

Soo-Won looked at Mundok's back nervously. After all those running which was done through the adrenaline rush, he could feel his legs shaking, those sudden work finally caught up to him. His breath had yet to calmed down, but the tension on his body had started to loose, leaving him exhaust. His body system was going to shut down, but his consciousness was forcing him to stay awake. He could felt the warm pat on his head, stroking his head slowly. "Everything will be alright, don't worry."

He looked at his grandfather. There was no trace of lie on his eyes, but still, he couldn't stay calm if he hadn't confirmed Yona's safety. He nodded slowly, praying to the entire god up there for Yona's safety.

He was snapped out from his musing when he heard The King addressed him. "Now, Soo-Won. Tell this old man about this big tale of yours."

And with that, King Joo-Nam led him to another room to talk.

* * *

 _Then the scenery changed._

 _I was sitting in a field of green wheat, the stalks bent lazily in the wind and I marvelled at the grains. Each one was distinct and though different from the others, still perfectly formed. I ran my hand along the edge to feel the combination of rough and smooth and then held my face upward to feel the warm light of the sunshine. The air smelled just right and the birds flied in an almost cloudless sky. I started walking, hoping that this was reality._

 _But in truth, it was a mere dream._

* * *

' _Please hang on there, Hime-sama…'_

Hak gritted his teeth as he ran. His arm had gone numb, the heaviness on his back didn't help much either. He could felt his soaking robe against his flesh, the smell of the blood numbing his sense. Each second passed equal to each drop of blood that Yona had lost. He was racing against time, his princess life is on the line. He couldn't stop, unless he wanted to watch her die. No, he must not stop, not until he found help.

He ran and kept running. Another seconds passed, another bloods dropped. Yet, the main building is still far away.

He cursed inwardly, moment like this made him realize how weak and vulnerable he was. How he wished that he had the strength and the speed he had before.

"Brat!"

A shout was heard. He stopped, and looked up. He saw Mundok coming toward him with several other people tailing him.

"General Mundok…"

A great sense of relieve washed over him. Mundok stopped right in front of him, narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the peaking red hair behind Hak.

"How is she?"

Hak shook his head a little. "Not good…" he said, his voice cracked.

The other people, which Hak noted as physicians, arrived at last. They were both shocked at the sight of Yona behind Hak's back. "Yona-sama!"

One of the physician motioned toward Hak. "Please put her down here. We need to take a look on her injuries." He said. Hak complied quickly. Both the physician gone to work as soon as Hak put Yona down.

He stepped backward, giving the physicians space to do their job, but his eyes never leave Yona.

"You alright?"

He glanced at the side and found Mundok looked at him with concern. He shook his head. "It's not mine… the blood, I mean." He replied. Mundok nodded in acknowledgment, and then proceed on watching the physician work.

A moment later, Hak spoke. "There is a death body not far from here. I guess it is one of the assassins. Geun-Tae is handling the other one." He reported. But their conversation was stopped when they saw the physicians had finished bandaging Yona.

"How is she?" Mundok asked.

One of the physician looked at Mundok. "We have given her first aid. She need treatment as soon as possible." He explained. "Let's take her back to her chamber. We could treat her better there."

The physician carried Yona on his arm and rushed back to her chamber with Hak tailing behind him.

Another step was heard. When Hak looked at the side, he noticed that Mundok was also coming with him. He blinked a few times, as he thought he was hallucinating.

"You are coming?" he asked.

"Of course. I was ordered by the King to aid Yona-sama."

Hak could felt a load of heaviness disappeared immediately. His lips curved up a little.

"Thanks, gramps." He whispered, letting the wind blew the sound away. But it was still loud enough for Mundok.

"No need to thank me."

* * *

 _The next time I open my eyes, I'm staring into the horizon._

 _There, in front of me, was the sun, peeking out from its hiding place, slowly but surely coming out from its so called home. Below me was an endless ocean, blue colour sparkling like thousands diamonds spreading on the floor. Upper was a vast sky with clouds drifting lazily, as if saying "I don't want to go, don't force me". The wind was blowing softly, like a mother patting my head. I closed my eyes, content with the nature, enjoying every single breath that I took and let out._

 _The earth that I'm standing on… is peaceful and joyful._

* * *

They stood there, in the waiting room, all of them. The king, Yona's parents, Soo-Won, Mundok and Hak. It was tense, sobs was heard from Yona's mother.

Hak stayed beside Soo-Won silently, holding Soo-Won's hand to reassure him. Soo-Won's face was as pale as sheet, his hand was as cold as ice. His gaze was blank, unfocused to the surrounding. He wasn't like this when Hak met him just now, he could still wear uneasy smile to Hak, but as soon as he saw Yona, his smile dropped, and dread overcome him completely.

Hak wasn't the best consoler, and he didn't know how to console people. That's why he only stayed beside Soo-Won silently, hoping that it could help him even if it was only a little.

He knew he couldn't help anyone, not when he was also wreck inside. He might look alright from outside, but in reality, his mind was wreaking havoc inside. He wasn't faring well either.

He remembered when he and Mundok stepped inside the main building; the sight of Yona's heavily wounded body caused uproar in the castle. News about Yona's situation soon reached The King and other guests.

The King was outraged. He ordered for tightening the castle's security, even as far as threaten those soldiers for their negligence. The security was doubled, and maybe tripled. When The King stepped inside the waiting room, his fury was felt through the tense air.

* * *

 _ **BANG!**_

 _Surprised, I opened my eyes and saw that everything turned red. The warm sunlight had turn into the hot burning fire. The sparkling blue ocean had turned into the dreadful red ocean. There was no wind, there was no cloud. But there was rain, bloody rain. I turned around frantically, searching for another colour besides red, but all was red. Up down left right front behind…_

 _Every single thing was red._

* * *

After Waiting for hours, Soo-Won was near dying. The silence was driving him insane. He wanted to know what was going on with Yona right then, not ten minutes, two hours or forty years later; he wanted to know before his brain shut down and his hands did something that he will regret later.

The silence of the waiting room made his blood as cold as the autumnal air that crept through an open window. Bereft of any wind the leaves outside hung limp until they fell of their own accord, there was no whispering noise or rustling. It was as if nature conspired to keep him in the dark, not daring to whisper the reassurance he craved.

As he stared at the wall in front of him, he felt the tension and anxiety build up as he stared blankly, his mind full of emptiness. Before the panic could eat him alive, he managed to catch up on subtle breathing exercises to help him relax. Just as he regained his steady heart beat by breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, he could hear the footsteps coming.

The hurried footsteps and the squeak of a door brought his heart racing as fast as a gunshot. His head snapped in an instant to the physician that coming out from Yona's room.

Yona's parents questioned the physician as soon as he got out, but the solemn looked on his face confirmed Soo-Won's fear.

Yona had lost a lot of blood, broken ribs, bruises and cuts here and there and she was poisoned as well. The poison didn't pose as a real threat as it was only a mild poison and it had been washed out from her system.

Her chance of living was low, he said.

And Soo-Won tuned out the rest of his explanations.

Outside rages a blizzard so strong that the familiar sight of streets has been almost erased. The flakes fell slowly and air was almost still, but it was so thick that it almost obscured the view completely. It was as if the weather was also concern with Yona's condition. May be, the dragons were crying up there.

* * *

 _Red… there were lots, lots of red…_

 _The fire was red… The blood was red… The rain was red… The ocean was red… Why was everything red? What had happened in the moment I closed my eyes?_

 _I was standing on a vast red ocean… When suddenly the water below sucked me in. I fell down into the ocean… I was drowning in this endless red ocean. I couldn't see the bottom of the ocean, nor knew what awaits me down there. But I know one thing._

 _I was dying._

* * *

Geun-Tae stood in the corner of The King's study room. His serious expression contradicted with his usual laid-back attitude. He heard a soft footstep coming inside the room. He glanced up and saw Mundok stepping inside.

"You have come back, General Mundok." He said.

A flicker of recognition flashed inside Mundok's eyes. "Yes. It was fortunate for Yona-sama to even be alive at this moment." Mundok said.

Geun-Tae narrowed his eyes. "Is it that bad?" his voice was low and deep, as if suppressing a great emotion inside.

Mundok stared at him intensely. "According to the head physician, she had a severe blood lost. She got a lot of cut on her body as well; some of it is pretty deep. If she was a little older, those would not pose as a danger…" concern was laced inside his voice.

Geun-Tae let out a heavy sigh. "She is still a child, cuts like those are life-threatening, is what you want to say, isn't it?" he asked which earned a nod from Mundok.

"Yes. She also got bruised on her body, but thankfully, there is no fracture bone." Frowns were visible on the old general's face.

It was then the door was opened and King Joo-Nam stepped inside. He looked at the two General inside the room before settled his gaze on Geun-Tae.

"Geun-Tae."

Geun-Tae straightened his body before bowing down. "Your Majesty."

"Took you quite long." The King remarked.

Geun-Tae looked at The King sheepishly. "Well, I need to clean a lot of mess."

The King walked passed Geun-Tae and Mundok. He took his seat on his chair before looking back at Geun-Tae again. "Report."

"When I arrived, it's already messy. I told the brat to bring Yona-sama back before dealing with the assassin. But he managed to trick me, and ran away before I killed him." Geun-Tae reported.

The King's eyebrow rose by a few millimeters while Mundok blinked his eyes rapidly. "You got tricked?" Mundok asked.

"He is… quite cunning, so to speak." there is a hint of annoyance in Geun-Tae's voice.

The King sighed. "Anything that you get from him?" he asked again.

"Nothing. Except for the fact that there are two assassins, with one of them was killed by Yona-sama." Geun-Tae answered, avoiding The King gaze. That subtle act wasn't went unnoticed by neither The King nor Mundok. Both of narrowed his eyes, knowing full well that Geun-Tae was hiding something. But they didn't say anything and instead chose to play along with Geun-Tae.

"Yona-sama killed one of them?" Mundok asked.

"The assassin that I fought with told me that. I'm not sure whether to believe him or not, but it was quite strange for him to kill his partner too." Geun-Tae said. "I checked it before coming here. The dead one was bigger in size; there are cuts on its body. The one on its arm was pretty deep and long. The cause of death is probably the cut on its neck." He elaborated.

The explanations left a quite uneasy feeling inside Mundok's stomach. "Don't tell me, Yona-sama cut his neck to kill him?"

Geun-Tae just shrugged. "Like I said, it's already messy when I arrived. I didn't witness any of the fight before."

"If what you said is true…" Mundok trailed. Geun-Tae stared at him grimly. "Yona-sama might not be normal." He finished.

"Enough." King Joo-Nam cut into their conversation. He stared at them sharply. "This talk will remain here. It should never get out from this room." He said firmly, his tone speaks of finality, telling them that he would not accept any argument. "Tell no one of this; speak no word of the accident. Understood?"

Both Generals knew exactly where they stood. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"You may leave."

Both Generals bowed before leaving the room, leaving The King alone.

Looking at the empty space in front, a troubled expression was replaced the previous serious one. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

"You wanted to avoid trouble and yet, you give yourself more trouble."

* * *

 _Outside the room_

Geun-Tae scowled as he walked in the hallway. "What's up with His Majesty? Isn't this disturbing?" he grunted all the way.

Mundok didn't pay him any attention. "I would shut my mouth, if I were you, General Geun-Tae."

Geun-Tae eyed him dangerously. "You are not curious?" he asked.

Using his only eye, he looked at Geun-Tae from the corner of his eye. "There are things that we need to know, but there are also things that are better unknown. Don't dig too deep on it; it might pose as more trouble than it's worth." He reminded Geun-Tae.

Geun-Tae looked away, the scowl was still visible. "Well, I get your logic there." He said, clearly annoyed, but didn't argue any further.

Both of them walked silently to each other destination.

* * *

 _I would soon engulf in to the darkness._

 _I closed my eyes again. I felt no need to watch whatever would happen to me. I'm falling down. Where to, I wonder. Was there any place for someone like me to exist? Was it Hell down there? Or was it Heaven?_

 _Ah… I was falling deeper and deeper. And I stopped to care. Maybe… maybe this way was better…_

 _Maybe dying would be less painful…_

* * *

Since this accident happened, the King had ordered all guests to stay the night in the castle. It was to prevent any unwanted accident to occur again. That included Hak too.

It was close to midnight when Hak and Soo-Won was ordered to rest, they were forced to rest by the nurse. With no other choice, both of them reluctantly went away. Along the way, no words was exchanged, no comfort was given. It was a deathly silence. Each of them was lost in each other world, they took no notice on their surroundings.

Even when they parted ways to each other respective room, it was still silent.

* * *

There was nothing friendly about the snow outside; it fell thick enough to blind any traveller. The gale whipped each flake, so pretty on its own, into a projectile that hurt unguarded skin. The sky above had none of the moonlight that should have shine, so thick were the black clouds.

The blizzard removed the illusion of his eyes. With sight he wasn't alone, he was one of many in the world and the world was full of interesting things to see, to touch to feel, to keep his mind anchored in time and space. But as the white flakes whirled outside in an angry vortex, he was as alone as he would be in the bleakness of space and cold, so cold. "Blizzard" hardly seems an adequate enough word for what the world outside had become.

Sitting on the floor, Hak looked at the dancing snow silently. The partition was open widely, enabling the chilly night wind to blow inside. Table was put on his side, with tea and sweets laying on it. But none of them was touched. Those foods had gone cold as the time ticking away. Still, he paid no mind on it.

All that he felt right now is cold, pain and regret. This accident was not supposed to happen. He could prevent it, if only he was more careful. Yona had told him that she got a stalker, an aggressive one. If only he stuck close to her, or at least asked someone to watch over her, none of this would happen.

He let out a deep sigh. Unconsciously, he placed one hand over his heart, feeling the nonexistent wound, the wound which once rip his chance to live, to go back to his princess. It was dull, but the pain was still there, even if there are no wound to begin with, the pain is still registered in his mind. Remembering how painful it was, the salty and bitter taste of his own blood… it made his blood gone cold.

It must have been painful for someone as young as Yona to get beaten like that. It was really painful for an adult; it would felt double or even triple for a young child. If he was a young child, he might have cried.

But he wasn't.

He wasn't a child. He was an adult. An adult in a child body. A useless adult who couldn't do anything to protect his precious one.

He didn't ask for any of this. It was something beyond logic. Something that he had never wished for but never regret on having, this memory of something that had yet to happen but felt too real to cast aside. He struggled to sort them out, to choose which was reality and which was only a dream. For years.

Somewhere along the way, he thought that 'The most beautiful of memories are the worst', they cutting his insides as if they were shards of glass. He remembered all the times when he was among **them** , **his real family, his friends, his precious ones** , a place of guaranteed warmth even on the coldest of days. Now, Just the thought of **them** filled him a sadness he would never fully shake, because as much as he wanted to, his memories were only a mere dream.

They **aren't** the **same** people as they **were** , they **didn't share** the same **memories** as he did.

Neither did **her**.

Being with her was a pain. She turned every moment they spent together into painful memories. They were sharp, and cut right through him every time he thought about it. Even the sweet good moments they had were now turned into a knife that killed his already broken heart. She pierced his soul; she made him sceptical about people and love.

Each time he wanted to scream, to shake her up and shout at her, _'Have you really forgotten? Do you really not remember every single thing about us? Every single thing about me? Am I the only one that remembers about us?'_

But it was alright, he thought. As long as they could keep living happily, it was enough for him. But then, problems arise. **She** was different and the course of even was different. It left him wondering, just which one is real and which one is dream? Which is which?

There should be a way to stop time when these things happen, when some human beings chose to wipe out another bunch of human beings or whatever it was they did. We should be able to just say, "No more; no more suffering, time to throw the cards in the air and see where they fall." Maybe such power did exist under human's radar, like how the dragons are real and not just some stupid myth.

For years, he had coped up with these memories. It was not only memories, he also need to cope up with the guilt that followed after each memory. When the guilt came, it took him down the old familiar path. He wanted to refuse to walk in it, pretended that he was the person he demanded him to be.

He wanted to see himself in sepia tones, not perfect colour. He wanted to scrub his head, but if he did, he'd never learned from what happened. And it's true what they say, "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." And he couldn't bare that. So he kept his eyes on the horizon and his mind tuned to creating a positive future; because really, wasn't that what everyone needed?

* * *

Too absorb with his thought, Haku didn't realize that Mundok had took a seat beside him, heating the already cold tea.

"You are going to catch a cold if you stay up till late at night without a proper robe in this kind of weather. It was wreaking havoc outside, better close the partition if you want the room to stay intact." Mundok said as he poured the warm tea on a cup. He then proceeded to close the partition, before taking a seat again.

Hak blinked and blinked before looking at Mundok. Mundok had poured him a cup of warm tea. He would feel bad if he refused to drink after all the trouble that Mundok had gone, so he joined Mundok in drinking tea. The warm tea indeed gave him a warm feeling in this chilly night.

Staring at the tea, his mind drifted once again to Yona.

"Will she be alright?" he muttered absently. He was at lost at what should be done. It's not that he doubted the credibility of the royal physician. It's more like he felt he was useless, not being able to do anything other than watching the world play out. Who knows when the curtain would be rise or drop?

The fact that he was a mere audience who have no authority to handle the play, or even a portion of it, made him frustrated. He thought he had a pretty good grasp on the course of events, but he was wrong. None of what he had predicted come true. Maybe this was the world's way to tell him that cheating is not allowed.

Seemingly aware of his inner turmoil, Mundok patted Hak's head gently. "If she is as strong as you said she is, then I don't think we need to worry too much." Those words calm Hak a little.

Seeing that Hak had at least calmed enough to talk, Mundok started the conversation. "You never mentioned anything like this will happen."

Hak scowled at the mention. "Of course not…" he growled. "Since this had never happened before." He clenched his hand; agony was visible on his face. "In fact, the courses of events are all different than before. The timeline is all messed up that I could hardly prepare for it."

Mundok couldn't see his eyes since His bang overshadowed them, but he was pretty sure that those clear orbs were probably clouded in rage. It wasn't strange, considering how protective Hak is in regard to Yona.

Mundok worded his next question carefully. "What's the factor in all of this change?"

There was no reply for a moment. And Mundok didn't rush Hak to reply. He knew that Hak need time to think. Once he found his answer, he would answer Mundok's question.

And true enough, minutes later, Hak opened his mouth slowly. "I guess…" he began. "It's **Hime-sama** herself."

If he thought about it, the biggest difference that occurred all this time was Yona's presence. The Yona in this world and the Yona in his world, they were too different, like they were actually a different entity to begin with. Yona in his world was so bright, so cheerful; she was like a sun that shines even in the darkest day. But the Yona in this world… she was like the moon, so cold, so far, and **alone**.

Mundok had also come to the same conclusion. He might not have the memories that Hak had, but at the very least, he was informed on what had occurred inside Hak's memories. He was aware on what they would face in the future and what kind of people that stood at their side. But this recent event caused him to think. **What if Hak was not the only one that had those memories?**

He stared at Hak silently before letting the question out. "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe she had those memories like you do?"

Hak surprised look had answered Mundok's question. Hak must have never thought of the possibility of other people having past memories, or he might have force himself to never think about it, as to not having his hope up.

But now is not the time to reject on whatever possibility that they could think of, even if it was only 1% chances of occurrence. "If she does, it will answer the entire question, and would explain on the difference of the characteristic."

Hak fell into silent. Flashes of what Soo-Won told him come into his mind.

" _It's nothing, really. I just feel like both you and Yona are different."_

" _Both of you seems to… know something that I don't…"_

He gulped a little. "It… might be possible." He muttered. Soo-Won is really an observant child. If he had noticed something like that, then there is a high chance that it is the truth. His heart started to beat frantically. _Does this mean that Yona knew him all along?_

He held his head with one of his hand. He let out a deep sigh as he closed his eyes. "I really need some sake for real."

Mundok give him a deadpanned stare. "No, you don't. You are underage."

Hak scowled sullenly. "General Mundok-" he began, but was cut with a hit on his head. Once again Mundok hit him with a folding fan which come out from god knows where.

"No, you will not get any sake! Also, call me 'Grandpa'!" Mundok said before he drink he cup of tea, leaving Hak grumbled as he nursed his pitiful head. He glared at Mundok in annoyance.

"I've never understand what's the problem in that."

* * *

 _I was falling, deeper and deeper._

 _I knew I would soon reach the bottom of the sea._

* * *

A red haired woman was standing in front of a blonde hair man. They seemed to be in some kind of heated argument, or so what Soo-Won thought. The red haired woman obviously angry, yet the man only gave her a small smile in return. He couldn't see their face, it was blurry at best. And he couldn't hear what they are talking about. Only one or two words were heard.

" _\- let me -!"_

The man gave the woman something long and big.

" _-here, take this. - in my stead, please."_

The woman slapped the man's hand, obviously rejected his idea.

" _-!"_

But the man only smile as he put the thing into the woman's hand. And he was gone from there, leaving the woman along.

Soo-Won turned around when he felt the woman stare at his way. Imagine his surprise when he was stand face to face with the man before. The man's face is too blurry for Soo-Won to get a good look at him.

" _-"_

The man said something to Soo-Won, but he couldn't hear it. Before he could even asked the man to repeat, he was pulled back jolted by a loud sound.

His eyes snapped. Heart was bumping inside. He looked around and realized that it was a dream.

He got up and looked around. The blizzard had yet to cease, the loud crash are probably from its work. But his mind wandered again to his dream. It was a strange dream, one that he had never had before. He was almost forgotten about the dream since he was jolted out from it, but he could more or less remember what occurred in it.

"What… is that…"

One thing that bothered him was the woman in his dream. Even though it was blurry, it resembled with the sudden image that he saw on Yona that time.

"Red… hair…"

 _Just who is she?_

* * *

 _I suddenly remembered what Hak told me ages ago…_

" _ **This time, come back. Otherwise, I'll stick annoyingly close to you from now on."**_

 _I… wouldn't mind if you stick close to me… I wouldn't mind it… not at all…_

 _So, Hak… would you… come back to me… if I couldn't go back…? Would you, Hak…?_

" _ **Think of me as a tool. Use me so that you can live! That's what I'm here for!"**_

 _I… wanted to see you… Hak…_

 _I wanted… to be spoiled… by you again…_

 _I wanted… to be your princess again…_

 _Save me… Hak…_

* * *

 **-End of Arc-**

 **To be continued**

* * *

 **And that is the end of this Arc. ^o^**

 **Honestly, I'm not too sure about this chapter. This was pretty much done in a rush, as you probably can see. ^^"""**

 **Regardless, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, from the bottom of my heart! 3**

 **Thank you for those who had reviewed, favorite and follow this story! :D**

 **Bookgirl18 :** Yeah, I understand your point. Honestly, when I wrote it, I was also kind of forgetting the fact that Yona was still a four year old child. -.-" but I can't cry over a spilled bean, can I? So I'll think of a way to somehow bring this flaw to fit the plot… I hope. TT^TT

 **Harukatana** : I like Joo-Doh too 3 but he wouldn't make an appearance until much later… Thank you for loving this story~ Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

 **Seaofhope** : Thank you for reading this story! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well! :)

 **Guest** : Actually, Yona is only a four almost five years old child, while Hak and Soo-Won both around seven. It's not strange that you confused since I kind of portray them too mature, I think. T.T

 **Minako213** : is it a cliffhanger? I didn't even realize it when I wrote that. Thank you for your patience in waiting for this chapter. I'm sorry for the delay. *bow*

 **Deviedra** : ikn, I felt bad when writing that too. Somehow, I didn't want Yi-An to be the bad person and ended up writing an angel in disguise? #ignoreit

 **Neko1290** : Thank you for reading my story! Here is the new chapter! Hope you enjoy it as well~ :D

 **Deb.23** : … (Silent) Idk how to reply… haha… if I answer your question, it'll be spoiling my entire secret~~ anyway, thank you for reading this story! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

 **Sousie** : thank you for reading this story! Thank you for your good-luck wish too! 3 here is the newest update! Thank you for your patience! Hope that you enjoyed it as well!

 **Marianmerza** : I'm sorry, but there won't be any battle featuring Hak anytime soon… . I still hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter… thank you for reading this story!

 **Motoko-chan** : thank you for reading this story! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

 **Thefriendyouhate** : Thank you for reading this story! Here is the newest chapter! :D hope you enjoy it as well!

 **Don't forget to leave a review, 'kay? Any comment, critiques, or advice is welcome!**

 **See you on November 12** **th** **or November 13** **th** **.**

 **Ld-G sign out.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, dear readers~ How are you guys~? I know the situation in US is kind of heated, what with the newest president elected… In fact, it's not only in US, but the situation in other countries around the world also heats up. Don't lose hope, have faith, everyone! And let us keep praying that everything will be alright! .**

 **By the way, seems like there are some confusion in the last chapter. I'll clarify something. There is NO other character that 'comes back' to the past except Yona. She is the only one that comes back. But there indeed some EFFECT from her to the other characters around her.**

 **Anyway, here is newest chapter~**

 **This is the start of a new arc. Hope you guys enjoy it! :D**

 **Disclaimer : Akatsuki no Yona is not mine in anything.**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **CONFUSION**

-PART 1-

* * *

She was drowning into this endless ocean. No one saved her, no one reached her hand. And she had given up on being saved. Because even if she screamed, no one would heard her. She let herself keep falling deeper and deeper. She closed her eyes and prepared herself to embrace the darkness, but something inside her gut keep yelling at her.

"Don't give up! Don't give up!" it said.

She didn't know where it comes from, but it was so clear in her ears. She strained her ears to hear more, wanting to open her eyes to see once again. But then, a blinding white flashed, and she couldn't help but closed her eyes once again.

The next moment she opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of a white ceiling.

* * *

Yona's dream ended abruptly, as she was shaken back into reality. Her eyes opened, her eyelashes faintly batting against her lids when she blinked. Slowly and reluctantly, she looked around. The room wasn't familiar to her. She blinked, closed her eyes, and blinked again. Streaks of sunlight penetrated the window and blinded her.

She realized that she had awoken to soft sheets, and the morning light trickled in through the blinds. Shedding herself of the remaining glimpses of a dream, her eyes were still shut as she soaked in the warmth of her covers before letting her eyes see the sun's rays.

As she roused from a heavy slumber she was first aware of the coolness of the air and its loamy fragrance. The lazy wind pushed against the unmown grass like a child sending dandelion seeds on their way: one o'clock, two o'clock, three. It was really soothing.

 _What time was it? How long had I been asleep? Where is this?_ All of these questions shot through her mind as she laid there. She was debating whether or not she should get up. Her muscles felt weak, just like her energy. But remembering that she had a lot of things to do, she decided on getting up. She let out an exasperated sigh, groaning as she slowly rolled off of the bedding that she had been occupying, but not even a second later, a sharp pain suddenly erupted from her body.

She couldn't help but let a loud hissed out from her mouth, before falling back to her bed.

It seemed like someone heard her, because she could heard frantic sounds coming toward her room. The door was opened almost immediately and an old man stepping inside. Concern was apparent in his face, but it was soon changed into a mixed of shock and happy as he laid his eyes on her. A warm smile was given as his body relaxed quite considerably.

"Hey… how do you feel?" he asked, stepping closer to her place.

But Yona was in a total shock. Her heart twisted and sunk with nerves as looked at the old man in front. Her breaths came in sharp pants and she tried to gain control, but nothing was working. It hurt. It HURT! How could this happen?! What actually happened here? How could he stand there when he wasn't supposed to exist just yet? It wasn't his _time_ just yet!

"Geun…tae?"

How come… how come the Geun-Tae from her time back then could stand right in front of her?

Geun-Tae's white eyebrow rose slightly as he observed Yona. "Ya, it's me. Why are you so shock?" he asked as he took a seat beside her.

Not believing her eyes, Yona tried to sit up again. Immediately, she felt another pain shot up straight to her gut. She let out another loud groan before she collapsed back to her bed.

"Whoa whoa, easy kid. Your injuries are a fatal one, you know. It was a miracle that you are still alive now." She could hear a little panic inside that deep voice of Geun-Tae. But she didn't pay any attention to that. Instead, she raised her hand up. It wasn't the small hand that she had grown used to see. No, it was the big calloused hand that she had back when she was a frontline fighter.

Panic was not even close to what she was feeling right now. She grabbed a lock of her hair in frustration and realized that it felt strange. She brought it to the front. That was when she noticed that she had a damn long hair. This was never happened in her new life.

She turned to Geun-Tae, dread was apparent on her expression.

"Geun-tae. Tell me. How old am i?"

He blinked and blinked. "Huh? How am I supposed know how old you are when I've also forgotten my own age?" he asked back.

Her heart starting to beat harder and faster, adrenaline levels rose, and her brain started to fire out negative thoughts. The negative thoughts kept coming like waves on rocks. Arguments in her head got so fast and so disturbing that her brain shut down my body.

"Then… are we… in war?" she said, slowly and unsurely, hoping that this was all a mere nightmare. But the gloomy eyes of Geun-Tae spoke otherwise.

"Need I answer that question when the answer is so obvious?"

She bit her bottom lip. _'I'm back… to my previous life? For real?'_ she couldn't believe either her eyes or her ears. For her, this was all a nightmare.

"h-how long… how long have we been in war?" if this indeed was the world from her previous life…

Geun-Tae looked at her with a concern. "Did you hit your head or something? Maybe some kind of brain wound?" he asked as he patted her head.

"Answer the damn question, Geun-tae."

Her nerves were frayed to the quick. In her building anxiety she constructed elaborate rationalizations for why everything would turn out alright, but still the nagging voice in the back of her mind spoke of nothing but doom ahead.

It was silence, an unbearable silence for Yona.

"Three decades."

And that dreaded word comes out from Geun-Tae's mouth.

Her shoulders slumped before she covered her eyes using her hand. Her mouth was set in a grim line.

Geun-Tae silently observed her. She looked as if the muscles of her face had gone on strike. Everything about it was slack and it gave her the aura of one who would spurn even the most well-meaning attempts to strike up a conversation. Even her shoulders drooped as she looked like a sack of dead kittens.

It was worrying in all honesty. The Yona that he knew would not be asking question like that. Did she hurt her head when she collapsed that day? Maybe that's the reason why she looked so confused right now? Or was there another reason?

Geun-Tae narrowed his eyes. "Is there something that I need to know?" he questioned.

Yona eyed him through a small crack, before hiding her eyes again. She shook her head slightly. "Don't mind me. I'm just confused. My head is a mess."

They stayed silent for another few minutes as Yona tried to calm her nerve. Her mind was a jungle mess, and she wasn't sure she could organize it anytime soon.

She heaved a sigh and uncovered her eyes, staring at the white ceiling. It was when Geun-Tae held out a cup of water that she realized she had been really thirsty, that her throat was really dry. Geun-Tae helped her sit up, and even help her drink her water. She took a big gulp of it, and fresh almost instantly.

After drinking that water, she laid back again.

"How long have I been out?" the question rolled out from her mouth.

Without even looking at her, Geun-Tae answered, "around a week. We all thought you wouldn't make it anymore, what with those heavy wounds. Glad to see that you've finally waked up."

She tried to remember what occurred on her previous life, she really did try. However, it had been quite some time ago, so it was quite hard to dig that memory. She kind of remembered dying though. "What happened?" she asked.

Geun-Tae looked at her with guilty eyes. "As soon as I got your message, I set my team straight to the battlefield, but we arrived at the time you were stabbed. Thank goodness that you are still breathing when I checked on you. I commanded one of my men to tend your wound before rushing to help the other. Sorry, we couldn't arrive earlier." It was obvious that he blamed himself for what her injuries.

Yona waved her right hand, brushing his apologies. "It's alright. It was my fault anyway. How is the situation right now?"

"Well, we managed to hold our ground this time and they haven't march here since then, not sure when they'll attack us again."

Closing her eyes once again, she began to collect her mind. Now, it was not the time to ask too much question. She was once again live a world where death always one step behind her. She needed to kill whatever emotion that had grown inside those four years. She opened her eyes, and any trace of confusion, panic, anxiety, or whatever emotion that she had shown before had vanished completely.

In that instant, Geun-Tae knew that the Yona that he knew had resurfaced. Sometimes he wondered how someone full of emotion like her could hide those emotions that well. Bottled up emotions might not be good, but for people like them, who were constantly needed in the battlefield, it would be better to never show any emotion as those could be their downfall.

He noticed that Yona was checking her body, then looking around the room. "Where are my clothes?" she asked.

A vein popped on his head. "You need to rest. You could open up that wound if you are reckless." He scowled. But the stubborn Yona didn't agree with him. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at Geun-Tae.

"I don't have time to rest. Please prepare my clothes, as well as my equipment."

This was rejected firmly. "No."

"Geun-Tae." She growled. Her eyes stared at him dangerously, like a predator to its prey. Geun-Tae's eyes never wavered, nor did his voice.

"No. I said No. You will stay in bed and rest. We'll take care of the things in the frontline." he said even more firmly than before. "Listen to a request from an old man, will you?" he continued.

Just when Yona wanted to say something, Geun-Tae held up his hand, signing to her that he hasn't finished speaking just yet.

"You don't know how it felt when I saw you fall down that day. I thought my heart stopped. I might not show it much this passed decades, but I've think of you as my own daughter. I do not wish to see you die before me. So please…" it was followed by a heavy silence.

She knew that he was speaking the truth. She knew, because Geun-Tae had never lied to her. And she also knew that fatherly gaze which Geun-Tae has always give her whenever they meet. The truth is she has also think of Geun-Tae as her second father, and she always had a deep respect to him, even if she didn't show it.

And she knew she couldn't argue anymore. "Fine…"

Geun-Tae looked so relieved. "Well then, I'll go break the good news to the others. Rest well, Yona." He said before leaving her room, leaving her alone with her messy mind.

Now that she was alone, one by one emotion started to surface once again.

"What the heck happened? I don't understand it at all."

She felt lost and confused, like a ball of tangled yarn. The parts that were untangled are available, useable; the rest was a mess, useless until it was untied. That mess felt endless and at most times unyielding.

' _Was that all a dream? Or is this a dream? I really… don't know.'_

"My brain is fired up. This sucks."

Again, she let out a sigh. Her mind started to drift back to those memories, memories of a new beginning. Memories of her family, her friend, her life… not even a day, and she had felt all melancholy and nostalgic. If those years that she had spent there was merely a dream… it would be the best dream she had in all her life. She chuckled wryly. "It'll be really funny if those years I spent there was only a mere seven days' dream."

Right now, it felt like she was back to those day, the day when she lost everything she hold dear. That period of time was the hardest time for her to bear, all alone and with no one support. She was force to keep standing and walking by the sheer need to protect this kingdom. If not because of it, she had a feeling that she would already lost to the darkness in her heart long time ago.

She still remembered. In that period of time, there were times she felt like the world was slowly disappearing in front of her. Or maybe it was just her who was fading away. Those moments it didn't mattered anyway. Because her empty burning lungs and her heart hitting her chest so hard she thought it will break her ribs and rip apart her skin was the only thing she could think about. And the void. The black hole in her head, deep inside her soul, slowly swallowing all her hopes and dreams. That was the worst of those moments. The realization of the vacuum, the nothingness, the absurd of her existence.

Those times kept her awake at five a.m. and made her wonder: what is she living for anyway? Maybe for her. Maybe for others. Did it really matter?  
And when she couldn't find her answers on the starry night sky, the anxiety turned into panic.

She shook her head. It would not do her any good to remember those painful moments.

As she collected her mind, someone slam the door opened. It surprised Yona and it triggered her internal alarm. Her hand unconsciously reach to her belt before she realize that her weapon was nowhere beside her. That moment, she silently cursed Geun-Tae to confiscated her weapon and leaving her powerless.

"Yona!" a familiar voice broke her musing, and then a tall muscular with a short black hair middle aged man step inside. She blinked and blinked at the newcomer.

"Tae-Woo?"

There was no mistake in it, it indeed is Tae-Woo, well… the Tae-Woo from her previous life though. He looked like he had run a marathon for he was sweating quite heavily as he panting a little. His gaze focus on Yona before he walked quickly to her side and kneel.

"Thank god you've wake up! You don't know how worried we were when they brought your unconscious body back. Lili was close to rampage, you know. I need all my strength to restrain her, my body became the victim." He said with relieved.

This made her felt a little guilty. "Sorry, I've worried you all."

He sighed. "My heart drop as soon as Geun-Tae told me what happened to you. I've promised Hak to look after you in his place if something were to happen to him. If something happened to you, I wouldn't know how to face Hak in the Heaven. " He said dejectedly.

Yona rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Don't make me sounds like a damsel in distress, will you? I'm more than capable to protect myself."

Her expression was copied by Tae-Woo. "Yeah, yeah. Said like a true warrior."

Both of them stared at each other before they break into laughing.

"Since I've confirm your status, I'll let you rest. Don't worry about the frontlines; we'll take care of it in your stead. Don't get out from your bed, keep resting or go to sleep. If you need anything, just call for someone, okay? I'll assign someone to guard you." Tae-Woo said as he stood up.

"Alright, alright. You guys are such a mother hen."

He just smiled. "Of course, we are all one family." He then left the room, leaving her all alone once again.

She was trying to dig out as much memory as she could, but there a still a few blank space on her mind. "My memory is kind of hazy." She shook her hand right and left.

"I've lived inside that peaceful life for far too long. Guess I need to sort my mind before actually face the world again." She talked to herself with distaste. She tried to get comfort in her bedding, not like she could get any comfort in her painful situation. Her body was all sore, not to mention those injuries of hers hurt like hell.

Once again, she stared at the white ceiling. Inside her mind, it's like a void. A dark void. A never ending dark void that consumes everything. Empty. She didn't know what to think of her new predicament, she didn't even know what to feel anymore. Only confusion remained inside this empty shell.

She sighed. "Maybe this will end if I go to sleep…"

* * *

A blonde hair young teenage waked suddenly, every thought in high definition. His eyes took in every ray of light and without a doubt he knew he had slept too long. Though his eyes were open he couldn't think of why; his heart was pounding, mind empty. It was as if a hypodermic of adrenaline had been emptied into his carotid.

He let out a groan as he covered his eyes. _'What's this feeling…?'_

It had been long since he woke up feeling like this. He had been suppressing his emotions for as long as remember, maybe over two millennium years? It was always empty, suppressed deep inside his mind and soul. The emptiness was always there; he considered himself decent at hiding it, masking it with normal human emotions. No one was going to ask him why he is smiling. And he'll go through the day like that.

That's why He didn't understand why suddenly his emotions race like this, like something important had happened.

His heart hadn't stop pounding; it pounded even quicker than before. His body felt like inside boiling water, as if someone burned him alive. It seems like his dragon blood scream at him. This kind of feeling, it's like the time when he first met his master…

His eye shot opened. _'Master…?'_

Instantly, he got up.

"Miss…"

His heart pound even louder. "I can feel… Miss… she… she's… alive?" he murmured. Just a week ago, he felt his mistress life started to fade. That day, he cried his heart out, for he had been too late to reach his mistress side, for leaving her all alone for decades. But now, now it suddenly came back full force. He really couldn't believe it.

He knew he was anxious when he felt the wind more keenly in his eyes; it was that tearless stage when the eyes took on sheen of water and a tension builds behind them. He needed to shake it off. Now wasn't the time or place for tears.

But this news… it eased his mind. He could felt the weight lifted from his shoulders as if an overly large child had just leapt off after a satisfying piggy back ride. His mind was lighter, more carefree. He noticed how the white light of the morning streamed in through the roof of leaves.

"I need to meet her. Before it's too late again." He said determinedly.

As he made her way to a cave, he broke into a run. A boyish grin spread onto his cheeks as he strode down the path with his eyes shining and his inner child skipping along in his mind. If he weren't already two millenniums years old, he'd skip too.

He run inside the cave and meet with another tall dark blonde haired man. The man heard a sound coming. "Zeno?" he called.

"Sorry, Zeno got so sleepy and passed out in the middle of forest."

The man's body tensed slightly. He turned to source of voice, bandage over his eyes were visible. "Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?" he asked in alarm as he trying to reach Zeno.

Zeno walked to him slowly and hold the man's hand. "Nah, don't worry. Nothing happened." He said in a relaxed tone. "Oh right, we need to move now if we want to arrive before dusk!" Zeno said in hurry. "Come on, Mister!" he said while dragging the man out of the cave, not even bother to explain anything to the clueless man.

"Eh? Why? Where are we going? Zeno?"

* * *

 **To be continued**

* * *

 **I think I'll need to hide after all of this… I don't know how you guys take this kind of… plot twist? (Is that what we called it?) *laugh* I'm pretty much sure that half of you will be screaming at me right now.**

 **This chapter was kind of short and rushed. I don't actually have time to write it properly, I was having an exam week last Monday and will get into another exam week again on Monday. I'm really sorry, the chapter might not be good enough to satisfy you… ;A;**

 **Regardless, I still hope that you would enjoy this chapter.**

 **Thank you for those who had reviewed, follow and favorite this story!**

 **Bookgirl18 :** *hiding behind a rock* I-I g-guess there are indeed so many possibilities…? Ha…ha…? #slap

 **Minako213** : Oh my~ I wonder who that 'someone' is~ XD Hope you enjoy this new chapter. And, I think that I'm more like a normal author? Haha…

 **WriterFan4Life :** Thank you for liking this story! I hope you enjoy the newest chapter!

 **Deb.23 :** Oh wow, so many questions… Umm… I could only say that Hak isn't an idiot and there is more to the event regarding Geun-Tae and the assassin. There are reasons for all that had happened there. All will be explained later~ X3

 **Duchessliz :** thank you so much for your review! It helps a lot! I'll try to fix it and make it better!

 **Mustang's Inferno :** Thank you for reading my story and loving it! Hope you like the newest chapter! ^o^

 **Yuuhi :** Thank you for reading this story and loving it! Don't worry; your English isn't bad at all! Mine is even worse, I think… ;A; I hope this chapter is to your liking. I'll work harder to make this story become more enjoyable! :D

 **Deviedra :** … (silent) *hiding behind a rock* if that was a plot twist, I don't even know what you'll say about this chapter… ;A;

 **Guest :** Oh? Do you doubt Hak and Mundok's bond? Their bond run even thicker than blood, you know~ X3 I could say that I really want for Soo-Won to be close to Yona and Hak, but this story's plot just keep changing every time I start writing new part. Haha…

 **Harukatana :** Oh, I think I get a few of your point. Actually, Soo-Won's status in the previous life is unknown, he could be dead or he could still alive. And Hak actually didn't come back. I know it was quite confusing since there were still some unanswered questions here and there, but all will be explained later.

 **Don't forget to leave a review, 'kay? Your reviews and support make my day! :D**

 **See you on December 10** **th** **or December 11** **th** **.**

 **Ld-G sign out.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone~ Long time no see~**

 **I'm sorry that I couldn't update on time, life has been busy, and so many assignments need to be completed. Even though I'm supposed to be on Christmas holiday, I'm swamped by assignments. Those lecturers just thought it's a great idea to use holiday as an excuse to give us more work. I'm so mad! :(**

 **Anyway, let's just proceed to the story.**

 **Note:**

 **PRESENT** (this is child-Yona timeline)

 **FUTURE** (this is adult-Yona timeline)

 **Disclaimer: I don't own AnY in any kind.**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **CONFUSION**

-PART 2-

* * *

 **PRESENT**

* * *

Soo-Won woke to the gentle patter of rain on his roof and thunder rumbling from far away. He pushed the blankets off, immediately feeling the warmth of sleep begin to slip away. He swung his feet over the side of the bed and sat up, rubbing the crust from his eyes. He stood up, his bare feet pressing softly against the wooden floor, and walked towards the window.

The window was splattered with rain drops, as even more rain came down. The clouds swirled lightly in the sky, their pale grey colour suggesting a long, mild storm.

He peered out over the window, his eyes taking in the dark colours squeezing through clouds _. 'It was chilly'_ , he thought, pulling his thin haori around himself. The scent of rain hung in the air as he watched the water droplets fell like they simply couldn't think of anything better to do. There was laziness about them, as if they could barely be bothered to conform to the will of gravity.

When he held his bare arm out of the window, the droplets splattered on his outstretched fingers. They were large and soft. He tilted his fingers upwards and watched the remnants of the drops ran downwards like tiny rivers. With a half-smile, he went inside.

Honestly speaking, he was dead tired. Last night was another sleepless night. He kept having strange dreams, dreams that didn't make any sense. The dreams themselves were rarely scary. Sometimes it's happy, sometimes it's sad.

It should not have been a problem, If only that's all it is about. However, more often than not, the dreams started with a happy one and then gradually change to a sadder one. It left him awake in the middle of the night, unable to continue sleeping. He'll become tired in the morning and didn't have any energy to do anything. Like today.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly. He bit back the yawn that was coming. He was tired as hell. He could have easily pulled off being a walking zombie, dead on the inside but subconsciously awake.

He walked out from his room, walking slowly as he enjoying the melody of the rain. He stopped in front of a room, smiling lightly to the guard, he slowly went inside, as quiet as possible.

Yona was there, on her bed, sleeping soundly and unmoving.

He walked to her side, and quietly slipped inside her bedding. On his sleepless nights, he would come to her room, to seek comfort. He would hold her hand tightly, feeling her warmth seeping to his body. If only to assure him that she was still alive.

He closed his eyes, intent on resuming his sleep again. He just hoped that it'll be a dreamless one.

* * *

Soo-Won and Hak stayed inside together in living room. It was still raining outside, not as heavily, but they still couldn't go out in this weather.

Soo-Won sat, tired-eyed, and slumped over the table. He finally got a few hours of sleep, but the tiredness had yet to fade. Hak raised his eyebrow at Soo-Won.

"You look like shit." He said lazily. he heard Soo-Won groaned.

"I cannot sleep."

"What's wrong?" Hak asked as he ate the served sweets. Soo-Won didn't even spare Hak a glance as he waved his hand back and forth.

"It's nothing, really."

Hak's eyebrow twitched. He had expected it, but still he couldn't help but feel irritated. "Should I force you to spill?" he scowled.

Soo-Won gave a wry smile as Hak stared at him expectantly; the scowl on his face had yet to lift. Soo-Won knew he should tell someone about his dream and Hak was someone he could trust, but the real problem was he didn't find his dream as a problem at all, or at least an urgent one. True, his dream was confusing and it was tiring to wake up in the middle of the night, but so far he didn't feel any immediate danger from it.

He shook his head a little. "It's nothing… just some weird dream…" he said vaguely.

Again, Hak raised an eyebrow. "Dream?"

Straighten his back; Soo-Won looked at the ceiling. "I keep having weird dream… like the three of us playing around happily and things…" he trailed, trying to remember some part of the dream.

Unbeknownst to him, Hak narrowed his eyes. He might look calm, but deep inside, he was alarmed. "Then?"

"Most of the time I wake up before I get the clear picture of it… but…" Soo-Won paused and frowned. "It's strange… we never have that kind of bonds… Yona is not even close to us…"

Soo-Won stopped speaking. He smiled sadly as he thought back about those days he spent with Yona. He couldn't find a single memory where Yona took part in any conversation. She was there, but at the same moment she wasn't there, it felt like she was only some unimportant background character, easy to be forgotten but always there.

"Do you think… do you think we'll be able to have a strong bond? The three of us?" he asked.

"Of course. We can use force if needed." Hak answered in a heartbeat, there wasn't any single hesitation in his voice. It caused Soo-Won to blink in surprised before he smiled wryly.

"That's not good, Hak." He chided Hak half-heartedly, but the smile never left his face.

* * *

In another room, Mundok was visiting King Joo-Nam. Both of them talked about a lot of things before their conversation turned to Yona.

"Yona-sama is not getting better…" Mundok said in concerned. "I heard that her condition worsened."

The King silently took a sip on his tea. He put down his cup, and stared at Mundok. "She'll live. She won't die." It was said with confidence, like that was a fact.

Their conversation was halted when there was a knock. A simple 'come in' was heard afterwards, and then the door opened to reveal a standing Il.

"Father…" Il said as he bowed in front of King Joo-Nam. The same was done by Mundok to Il before Mundok threw King Joo-Nam a glance. A nod was given to Mundok and he stood from his place, once again bowed to the King and Il before stepping out from the room, giving the father and son their privacy.

After Mundok left, King Joo-Nam beckoned to Il. "Il… come here…"

Taking a seat in front of King Joo-Nam, Il looked at his father in concern. "How are you, father? Don't work yourself too hard, your health has worsen." He said.

The said father snorted. "I'm not as weak as you think I am. I still can fight with my bare hand." He said, taking another sip of his tea. His son sweat dropped as he eyed him. Clearing his throat, Il looked at his father. "Is there anything you need from me?"

Not one to beat around the bush, King Joo-Nam asked, "How is your wife?"

Silence was soon followed. Il's eyes dimmed as his mind drift to his young child, his precious daughter with a bandaged body. It hurt him to see her like that, but he still held into the hope that she'll come out alive. But it wasn't the same for his wife.

His wife had fallen to despair. She couldn't bare it at all. Nights were spent weeping inside Yona's chamber; meals were only touch if he forced her to eat. She basically done nothing except stayed beside Yona. And as the result, she had fallen ill. Her body gradually became weaker and weaker, and he honestly didn't know what to do. One was on the verge of dying while the other one was gradually slipping through his fingers. How he wished he could split himself to attend both of his precious one. But he couldn't. He knew he needed to make a priority, and he chose his wife, not because his daughter was unimportant, but more because his wife needed him more. He couldn't do anything to help Yona, but he would be damn if he couldn't at least help his wife getting her health back.

Whenever he saw her, he could feel sadness crept inside, like a thousand papers cut his heart. None were enough to kill him, but overtime their accumulation bled him of the humanity he had once had. He once was gregarious and generous natured, now he was just gaunt and melancholy.

King Joo-Nam knew exactly why his son grew quite. If his son was feeling depressed, he was furious. No one, and absolutely no one, was allowed to mess with his family. "Who is the fool that think it is alright to do an assassination attempt toward a royal?! When they are caught, I'll -" he was cut by a coughing fit that suddenly emerged.

Panic at the sudden cough, Il quickly offered him a drink. "Father! Please calm down. You'll only worsen your health." He said worriedly.

After a while, King Joo-Nam managed to calm himself down. He took a big gulp of his tea before giving his son a hard glare. "Fool! I'm not going to die from a mere cough!" he snapped.

And again, Il could only sweat dropped. _'I didn't say anything about dying, did I?'_ he mentally asked himself. He silently sighed.

"Anyway… Il, I suppose I'll let you look after this kingdom in my stead." King Joo-Nam said with a monotone voiced. Il was stunned; it felt like a bomb was suddenly thrown to his face. Both of them stare blankly at each other as seconds ticked by.

"Take care of this kingdom? What…" a hint of surprised and confusion were heard in Il's voice. Though, King Joo-Nam being himself didn't elaborate more. "You'll know when the time comes. Take a good care of this empire until _**he**_ is ready."

"Father, what…"

Not waiting for Il to ask more, King Joo-Nam merely waving his hand. "Dismissed."

Il was still confused from all of this. He really wanted to know more, but knowing his father, it'll be another endless riddles, one which would made his head even more confused. He had no choice but to unwillingly leave the room.

One thing that was more confusing was his father's last statement.

"Who… is he?" he mumbled to himself.

* * *

 **FUTURE**

* * *

Geun-Tae eyebrow twitched as he saw Yona stretching her body. "I told you to rest!" he fumed. He was responded with a growl. "And I told you that I'm fine already!" Yona glared at Geun-Tae.

Geun-Tae jabbed her in the ribs, causing Yona to hiss in pain. She glared at him as she doubled in pain. The glare didn't frightened Geun-Tae in the least. In fact, it made him even more annoyed. "Fine my ass! A little jab like that had made your stance falter, did you honestly think that you'll survive with this condition?!"

Yona keep glaring at him. "Shut up. I said I'm fine." She said between grunts. She straightened her body, ignoring the pain that soon followed. But that only fuelled Geun-Tae frustration. "Arg! You stubborn woman!"

"Speak for yourself, you damn geezer!"

A vein popped on Geun-Tae's head. "Damnit! Respect your elder, brat!"

"Last time I check, I'm well passed my teen age."

"Well, you certainly don't look like one."

"You damn-"

 _ **BAM**_

Their bickering was cut by a slam of the door. Both of them turned to the door and they were greeted with the sight of a panting child. He was possibly around 13 years old, with raven hair and red eyes. The funny part was he looked like her miniature, minus the hair, when she was at that age. But, this child was a stranger in Yona's eyes. She couldn't recall anyone like him.

The child's eyes locked with Yona's, and in a split second, his eyes were brightened. "Kaa-san!" he shouted in joy, and ran to hug her tightly. "Kaa-san, are you alright?! Should you be walking around when you just waking up?" he asked in a deep concern without lessening his hold.

Yona froze. Her mind drew blank. What the heck happened here? She didn't understand any of this. This child just called her 'Mom', and hugged her, speaking to her like he had known her long when she honestly had no idea on who he was.

She had yet sorted out this confusion, when another voice was heard. "Kaa-san." She looked up and widened her eyes when she met with Hak. Her heart sped up as she stared at those red eyes- _'Wait… Red?'_

She blinked and blinked as she observed the teenager again. He was the split image of the younger Hak, back when he was 18 years old. The only difference was his eyes, which was red. And Yona realized this teen couldn't be Hak. Hak had gone, and if he had still alive, he should be on his 50s. But then questions remained. _'Who…?'_

On the sideline, Geun-Tae shook his head a little as he saw the kid's antic. "Ya, brat. You are going to kill her."

The kid immediately let Yona go. "Oh! I'm sorry! Kaa-san, I'm sorry!" he frantically apologized. Yona looked blankly at the kid, and then back at Hak's miniature. Still, she couldn't recall any memory about them. Who are they? Why they called her 'Kaa-san'?

Seemingly realized something's wrong, Hak's miniature narrowed his eyes. "Kaa-san?" he called slowly, his voice was laced with concern. The other occupants stop talking right then. All of them were staring at Yona, whose mind was still blank.

Yona frowned. This was so strange, so confusing. "Who… are you?" she let her thought slipped out as she looked straight at the two strangers in front.

Three sets of widened eyes locked at her gaze. The youngest kid stared at her with disbelief. "You… you don't remember us?" he asked weakly, still in shock.

"Remember? No. I don't know you. Who are you? Calling me Kaa-san… I don't have any child." She said bluntly.

A single tear slid down from his widened eyes as he looked at Yona. "Kaa-san… that's… that's not funny…"

Silence hung in the air like the suspended moment before a slap was delivered at the back of Yona's head. She turned her head and locked eyes with another stranger. He looked like a middle aged man, around the same age as her, with brown hair. His bright blue eyes looked at her in annoyance and… relief?

He scowled. "That's not the way to greet your sons, Yona!"

Yona was not in the mood of joking or even playing around. Too much things happened, making her confused and beyond frustration. "Who are you? How dare you try to hit me."

Another silence. The silence was eerily unnatural, like a dawn devoid of birdsong. Silence clung to them like a poisonous cloud that at any moment could choke the life from them. Silence seeped into their every pore, like a poison slowly paralysing them from either speech or movement. No sound, no blinking, no movement.

"You… don't know who I am? For real?" The man eyed Yona dangerously, his mouth was drawn in a line, and his knuckle was clenched into a fist. There was no doubt that Yona had make the man angry, but why?

Seeing that the situation had turned bad, Geun-Tae patted the man's shoulders lightly, trying to pacify his anger. "Hey, hey. Yona hit her head pretty hard there, I think something happened with her memories…" he said.

But the man didn't take it. "If there is something wrong with her memories, she would obviously forget about you too!" he snapped.

"Should I hit your head again to make you remember who we are?" he asked in a low voice between gritted teeth.

Yona narrowed her eyes. "You dare…" she growled as she prepared herself for fight.

Geun-Tae cut them in the middle, standing right between them to stop things from turning ugly. "Hey, hey. Both of you calm down. The kids are here."

The man gave no mind to Geun-Tae and proceeded to growl. "How can you… how can you forget about us when we've been together for more than three decades! I'm Yoon! Damnit! And both of them are your sons! Your and Hak's sons! Have you forgotten that too?!" he snapped at Yona.

For the nth time that day, Yona was frozen in place, feeling as if someone threw a bucket of cold water to her.

* * *

Two people were walking slowly through the silent mountain path. It was the kind of day even a feather would fall without drifting one way or the other. There was absolute stillness. The birds were silenced; no-one walked the streets. No clouds drifted in the sea of blue above. No water dripped or flowed. Not a sound could be heard either close at hand or in the far off distance. Even their own breath seemed to die as soon as it left their mouth.

The forest that was once so alive now had gone. The trees that sheltered so many with their spreading canopy of green and provided so much were now lifeless sticks of charcoal. The unfettered light illuminated the scorched ground and still that smell of burning lingered despite the rain.

This was the result of war, of becoming the battlefield.

The battlefield lay quiet, for it was now a graveyard of the unburied. Their corpses lay here and there, unattended. Some had decayed, some were still fresh, some were ripped in pieces, bones and skulls were all over the path.

When Zeno walked passed it, he couldn't help but felt his heart grown heavy. The sun still shone and the wind still blew, but somewhere mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters waited in vain. These men that were once boys who played in the yard with sticks and laughed at each other's silly tales were now meat for the birds. Their eyes were as immobile as their limbs. Their souls had long departed to the celestial planes to walk with the ancestors.

And this was all the result from one war, what about the other wars? Kouka was supposed to be a peaceful country, but right now, it was merely a dream. Kouka which was once a lively kingdom now was more like a haunted kingdom.

The streets that once thronged with life stood empty. Gone were the food vendors and the women in their bright clothes selling hand made goods from carts and baskets. Gone were the children who played amongst the crowds with their games and laughter. Gone were the stores with their windows of fine clothing or delicacies. Now even at midday all that people would find would be the dusty street with only the wind for company. Once in a while there was the occasional harried person, moving quickly with tense purpose, no-one left their house unless it was absolutely necessary and the children were almost never seen.

When morning came, it reminded him of another day they survived. Of another man dead. Of another mother lost. Of another son fighting. Of another house destroyed. Of another life amount to nothing. And it was painful to him, when all that he could do was watching. If only he could join them to the stars above…

He was brought out from his musing by a little tap on the shoulder. "Where are we going, Zeno?" his silent companion asked, tilting his head a little.

Zeno smiled. "Back to Zeno's master side…" he answered, all depressing thoughts were gone as soon as he imagined Yona's smiling face.

But his companion didn't share the same sentiment. He halted. "Master?" he muttered. "…Uuhh…" his lips was pressed into a grim line, seemingly unsure about the plan. "I don't think…" he said, panic was heard in his voice.

Zeno knew what had transcended in the man's mind. He patted the man's back lightly to ease the tension. "It's alright, mister. Master will accept you, you don't need to worry." He reassured.

Still, the man refused to listen. "No… Yona… Yona will not accept me… after what father had done… she'll resent me… reject me…" his voice was small with sadness, like he had long given up on it. The problem with communicating with this man was that Zeno couldn't see his emotion, not when his eyes were bandage like this. Zeno could only rely on voice, on his body language, and from Zeno's own 2000 years of experience on socializing to get a good read on his companion.

"Mistress isn't someone heartless like that. You should stop hiding. She'll accept you, I'm sure." Again, he tried to reassure him, this time firmer than before.

The man was still hesitated a little. Zeno then continued persuading. "It was not mister's fault that all this things happened. It was all the king's wrong doing. Mister shouldn't shoulder all the blame. So, don't worry too much, Soo-Won."

* * *

 **PRESENT**

* * *

Geun-Tae walked briskly through the hallway of Chi'Shin Castle. When the wind blew, he stopped abruptly in his track and glanced at one pillar on the side in annoyance. "Why the hell are you still here?" he asked while scowling.

From that pillar someone come out, who none other than Yi-An. He gave Geun-Tae an eye smile. "Hey, hey, I was paid to serve you, wasn't I?"

That made Geun-Tae scowled even deeper. "Is money the only thing that you had inside that brain of yours?"

Yi-An chuckled. "Must be coming with the job." Yi-An answered while smirking.

"So? Anything you want to report?" Geun-Tae asked impatiently.

"Hm? I don't think so?" Yi-An shrugged, which made Geun-Tae growl.

"Then get lost. You give me nightmares."

It didn't scare Yi-An in the least. In fact, he found the urged to tease the young man. "Ah. The youthfulness. Seems like I'm getting old." He chuckled as he saw Geun-Tae reaching out to his sword. "Oh, well. I guess I need to go back now."

"That's what I told you, wasn't it?"

Yi-An turned around and walked away. Then he stopped after two steps and tilted his head to Geun-Tae. "Oh right. Seems like the little lady's condition is worsened. Just telling." He said before disappear with the wind.

Geun-Tae sighed. "That man… he just does as he pleased. I should have charged him for what he had done to Yona-sama." he grumbled.

He step inside living room and slumped to the floor. Taking off his overcoat, he threw it unceremoniously on the floor. There was something so great about home after the hectic day in Hiryuu Castle. He then lay on the floor, enjoying the afternoon breeze.

As he lazing around, his mind wandered to Yona. _'Her condition worsened… it's not strange, considering her age. Those injuries are giving her body stress.'_ He remembered the night he found her. He knew from first glance that she was in danger. Those wounds were life threatening. No one knew for sure if she would survived, and after three months, no sign of her waking up any time soon. Some people had begun to lose hope, though there were still some who still holding on that hope.

"Lord Geun-Tae."

Geun-Tae glanced at the caller and saw the stern face his brown haired assistant looking straight at him. "What?" he asked, still lying on the floor.

"Your paperwork is waiting."

Geun-Tae turned around and closed his eyes. "Burn them." He said lazily. He heard his assistant let out a sigh.

"Very well. Then, I'll need to tell the King that you reject the proposal. Please excuse-"

That drew a reaction from Geun-Tae. In an instant, he got up and turned to his assistant. "Wait, what?! What proposal?!"

"It is waiting on your table." His assistant said, "along with its other friends." He smiled innocently as Geun-Tae gave him a disgusted look. "Damn you snick bastard." Geun-Tae grumbled as he sullenly walked to his office. His assistant just laughed.

"Thank you, I love you too."

* * *

 **To be continued**

* * *

 **Okay… that's a little short. The next chapter might be short as well since it will be the last chapter for "Confusion" part which will be updated on…. Dec 31** **st** **! XD Yeah well, I actually wanted to update both today, but I'm not able to finish the last one, so I'll update it next week. ^^**

 **Oh right, I want to ask. Was the transition between timeline confusing? Because it keep changing?**

 **Btw, thank you for those who had reviewed, follow and favourite this story!**

 **Deb.23:  
** *hide* I'm sorry... You gave me so many questions that I can't answer or else I'll be spoiling the plot... where's the fun if I spoil it? O:) Okay, about the plot twist, obviously I just thought of it. LOL. but of course, it undergo a long questioning and tight planning in my head, otherwise, it wouldn't be presented as part of the plot~ ^^ Tell you what, half of what I've written in this story were actually completely different from the initial plot, the plot had been revised on almost every chapter... =_=

I think this plot twist is actually far simpler than what you've thought (this is my own view though). And I forgot to mention that Yona was 18 when the war started (she was 16 when the Soo-Won killed Il). You already know who that 'blindfolded-guy' is, right? And, Yona still had friends there, though she was more distant (minus a few persistent ones). And yeah, Geun-Tae's wife died (as stated on chapter 1). Woa... this is the longest reply I've ever written. LOL.

 **Harukatana:  
** Thank you for reading~ XD  
I like to include other character's feeling in a story, not just the main character's. ^^  
Good to know that you're not as confused anymore! If you have any question, you can ask. As long as it won't be spoiling the story, I'll answer it!

 **bookgirl18:  
** And that, my friend, is what you need to find out~ Stay tuned on the story to find it out~ XD

 **Mustang's Inferno:  
** Oh my, are you alright?! How is it going on right now? I didn't hear any news about it anymore, so I supposed it's all good now?  
Btw, thank you for reading this story!

 **Minako213:  
** Thank you for reading this story! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well! :D

 **Godess bubbles:  
** Yeah, he is alive~ XD (Zeno is immortal, LOL) Thank you for reading this story! :D

 **Deviedra:  
** LOL. I never knew that we can't post more than two for one chapter. Yoon wouldn't be little any more~ He'll be old Yoon~ XD  
and if she wake up in this chapter, those plot twist will be a waste, you know...;;  
btw, where is my ten bucks? XD

 **Yuuhi:  
** Why…? How can you be so sure that she went back to her "previous" life? XD  
Btw, Thank you for reading this story~

 **Guest:  
** 1\. HHB had long gone from Yona's "previous" life (Even Zeno's whereabouts was never known to Yona). Hak and Yoon's death had been confirmed, while the dragons just disappear without words.  
Thank you for your patience~  
2\. Regarding better or not, I couldn't give an answer because it could be better in my view, but it could be worse in your perspective, vice versa. It might 'looks' same, but it's actually not.  
3\. This one is a hard one, simply because it has yet to happen (meaning it's still on planning), so I cannot give you an answer.

Thank you for reading this story! Hope that you enjoy this chapter as well! ^^

 **WriterFan4Life:  
** Thank you for reading this story~ Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

 **Ocean melodies:  
** Well, it's actually the aim of this "Confusion" part? LOL. Everything will be explained later~ So, stay tune~

 **LunarRazorblade20:  
** Thank you! I'm so needed that! ;A;  
I hope your exams was alright too!

 **Don't forget to review, readers~ Any comment is deeply welcome~ :D**

 **See you on Dec 31** **st** **.**

 **Ld-G**

* * *

 **(** **０** **)** **０** **Ｍｅｒｒｙ Ｘ'ｍａｓ** **０** **(** **０** **)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, readers~ It's good to see you again! :D**

 **Here is the update~ Enjoy~**

 **PS: there is an important announcement below. Please spare some time to read it later, thank you.**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own AnY**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **CONFUSION**

-LAST PART-

* * *

 **FUTURE**

* * *

Time seemed stopped for Yona. "…what… do you mean…" her voice shook, her eyes widened. "I and Hak…?" she stopped.

She shook her head in disbelief. "No, that's not possible… Hak had died!" she shouted. She still remembered seeing his rotten flesh, the only thing that identify him as Hak was that lazurite necklace which she kept with her all time as his reminder. They didn't get married. They didn't even become a couple or confess to each other, one of the things that Yona had always regretted. He was only 22 years old that time, and she was only 19. There was no way… not even in her dream…

"I know he had died, but how come you don't even remember marrying him?!" Yoon snapped.

Yona's eyes focused back on Yoon. She opened her mouth. "You are not supposed to be here either!" she shouted, hand on her head.

"Oh? And pray tell why?!" Yoon asked, crossing his arm.

"Because… because you had died too!"

Yes, Yoon had died, died as the bait for them to attack the enemy. She could still remember it as plain as day, the sight of Yoon's body being teared apart in front of her. She grimaced as the memory flashed into her mind

A few gasp was heard but no one made any sound.

The sudden revelation killed all the anger inside Yoon. He blinked confusedly, before narrowed his eyes. "Geez, thanks for your good wishes. But no, thanks. I don't want to die yet. Don't go killing' someone off just because you dislike them." He scolded as he threw Geun-Tae a glance. He was greeted with the same confused eyes from Geun-Tae.

Meanwhile, Yona was panic internally. _'What the fuck is going on?! I don't understand any of this?! How come Yoon is still alive?! Sons?! Married Hak?! What the hell?!'_ the sudden amount of information was making her head dizzy. Her brain had no time to process all this things.

Seeing that Yona was too shaken, Geun-Tae decided to stop this conversation before it did any permanent damaged to the already damaged Yona. "Alright. Let's stop here. Yona hasn't completely healed just yet, but this stubborn woman just keep insisting that she need to work. And look where it brings us."

While Yoon wanted to interrogate Yona, he knew that Geun-Tae was right. She was still hurt, not to mention her memories problem, she really need a good rest. The last thing they all want is for her to really drop dead after just waking up. He let out a heavy sigh. "Go and rest. Maybe there really is a problem with your head. Can't exactly blame you for your memory loss."

He then faced the kids. "Come. Let's go back." he said, before he made his way out the room.

Both children were hesitating to leave but Yoon practically dragged them out of the room, leaving Yona and Geun-Tae alone.

Xxx

Geun-Tae looked at Yona who was lying on her bedding, her eyes were lifeless. The spark that existed before had vanished. There was nothing left, not an ounce of life in her eyes, only confusion remained. Her lips were slightly perched open, but nothing came out. She stayed silent, and looked off into nothing. Her mind must also be blank.

It wouldn't do her good, he knew. However, he also knew the best way to help a disoriented person was to stay on their side and let them processed things on their own pace. The moment they accepted reality, they would come out from their zone sooner or later.

True to his prediction, Yona come out from her musing. She still stared at the ceiling above, but Geun-Tae could see some life in those red eyes. "Geun-Tae…" he heard her called.

"Hmm?"

Geun-Tae readied himself to be bombarded with questions that he knew would soon come out from that mouth.

"Did I really marry to Hak?"

"yeah." He answered in one breath. It wasn't exactly a secret that both of them married, even if one a selective people knew their marriage status.

"How?"

He blinked. Now, that question was strange. How the heck was he supposed to know that answer? Because they both loved each other to death? Or because she was proposed by the brat? Nah, how could he knew what's going on with their mind anyway?

"You asked me that?" he asked back with a deadpanned expression. He earned a small nod from Yona.

"And Yoon is still alive…?"

Oh yeah, that one was predictable, seeing how startled Yona was when she saw Yoon and how she claimed that Yoon had 'died'.

"Yeah, since the day he was born to this world." He answered as a matter of fact.

"And those two… are my sons?"

Geun-Tae could see a shift of emotion inside her eyes. Seems like an inner turmoil. But regardless, he still answered. "Yeah."

Seconds passed without any question thrown.

"I hurt them." She murmured loud enough for Geun-Tae. Though he wanted to assure her, he knew that it'll be nothing but a lie. And Geun-Tae being Geun-Tae just like things to be as straightforward as possible.

"You just realize that?" he retorted bluntly. Yona didn't say anything, but her eyes told him everything. She felt guilty. Despite her confusion, she felt guilty. It wouldn't surprise him if she blamed herself for hurting their feelings. She had always been like that, always shoulders everything alone, and buried her own feelings for other's sake. Both she and her husband actually. Both of them were two peas in a pod. They always made people frustrated with their I-know-something-but-I cannot-let-you-know things. He suddenly had the urged to punch something or someone.

He sighed. "I know you must be really confused with all that memory loss, but you shouldn't have said that in front of your kids. They only have you for support now, and they love you so much. Even if you don't remember them, at least accept them." He advised.

Yona groaned. She put her arm on her eyes. "My head is a mess." she mumbled.

Geun-Tae chuckled wryly. "I have no doubt." He paused. "Is there anything that you forget again?" he asked.

Yona shrugged. "Don't know. Can't think." She said helplessly.

"Well, we'll think about that later. For now, just rest. Don't think too much about this." Geun-Tae said as he stood up.

"I'll leave you then."

* * *

Geun-Tae closed the door slowly. His brain couldn't stop thinking. _'Something is not right with her… it doesn't seem like she forget… she certainly know, but… the details are different.'_

Like how the Thunder Beast had died, but she didn't remember-no, she didn't _know_ about their marriage and how they had children, or the fact that Yoon was still alive. He bet she still has endless questions but she might feel too tired to even hearing other information that she chose to not ask them.

The fact remained that she knew him, knew Tae-Woo too since Tae-Woo didn't say anything about her not recognizing him. She also knew Yoon or a version of Yoon since she didn't recognize this Yoon, but knew him at the same time.

He narrowed his eyes. He needed to know what other else she knew and she didn't know. But for now, she needed rest, both her mentally and physically.

He turned to face one of Yona's sons, the older of the two. "Ryuu?"

The said boy-or man- bowed to him. "Geun-Tae."

"What are you doing here?"

The boy looked hesitated. "Kaa-san…"

Geun-Tae internally sighed. He should have known. Her oldest son, while not as chipper as the youngest one, was a huge worrier. And protective too. He matured way too fast, just like how his mother was when she was young. Though he was usually calm and objective, his judgement could be clouded the second his family was hurt, the same as his late father. And he too, always buried his feeling deep inside. Really, this was what they say _the apple doesn't fall far from the tree_.

"Your mother's head is a mess. It'll be best to leave her alone, she need time to sort her mind." he explained.

Ryuu nodded knowingly. "Right."

"Come; let's go to the dining hall. It'll soon be dinner time." Geun-Tae said, beckoned Ryuu, though the said person just shook his head.

"Thank you, but I'll stay here. I… want to stay beside Kaa-san…" Ryuu said, smiling a little.

"There is nothing you can do right now." Geun-Tae reasoned.

"Even so, I want to stay." Ryuu said firmly yet gently. There was determination in his voice that show he wouldn't back out. Like mother like son.

"Well, then, I won't forbid you." he paused as he eyed the young man carefully. "But remember, your mother got a memory loss. Try to think less if she seems different than she used to be."

Ryuu nodded. "I know…" he said sadly.

Geun-Tae stepped aside to let him enter. However, Ryuu didn't move. He was rooted in his place, which was surprising Geun-Tae. He half expected Ryuu to march inside the moment Geun-Tae gave him the pass.

"You are not entering?"

Ryuu silently shook his head.

"Why?"

"I'm going to make her uncomfortable. I'm… a stranger to her." the answer was given slowly, in hesitation and sadness. Geun-Tae silently groaned. Where is the kid that said he wanted to stay beside his mother go? Were his eyes playing with him? How could someone change in a split second?

"You aren't a stranger. She might act different, but inside, she's still the same person. If you want to stay at her side, then stay. She won't do anything to you." he reassured, which was responded with a blank nod from the young teen.

"Off you go. No need to worry." Geun-Tae patted Ryuu's shoulder in encouragement.

Ryuu bowed to him before hesitantly stepped inside the room.

Watching the closed door, Geun-Tae let out a sigh. "This is such a mess." he grunted before walking away. He just hoped that somehow Yona was still remembered that she was the Earth tribe's general. She had better to, because he wasn't going to help her with her paperwork.

* * *

Soo-Won stopped in his track. "Footsteps… many footsteps…" he mumbled.

"Let's check it first" Zeno said, leading the two of them to the source of sound. Zeno looked around and he could see an army of soldier in a far. The army moved as one, a sea of black or grey he couldn't be so sure. The right legs moved in unison and then the left legs. With each step the sound of the boots was like the warning thunder of a coming storm. Half of them were riding horses, each carrying heavy shield that glinting under the sun. Each face was grim against the frigid wind.

"Soldiers… they are going toward Kouka…" He whispered. He wasn't sure how many of them or what are they doing. At times like this, he was really upset on not having Seiryuu's eyes. If only he has it…

"Smells like something is burning…" Soo-Won commented.

Zeno narrowed his eyes. They decided to get a little closer. That's when Zeno saw the village over the way is burning, the smoke filled the air.

He gasped. "There is fire… is it a village? They attacked a village?!"

The fire burned like a temper, as if the leaping flames have a terrible anger toward the living world. The air smelled and tasted like bonfire while the horizon glows orange beneath the smoky wind-dragged plume. Soon the air will be too smoky to breathe and hot enough to scorch the skin. They could hear the flames as they devour all that of the village. Or the sound of people crying and screaming. Was there any survivors, they didn't knew.

Zeno gritted his teeth. "We should do something." He growled. He was closed to run there, had he not been stopped.

"First thing first, we should head to the base and warn the others." Soo-Won said. As much as he didn't like the idea of leaving, he knew they must inform those in Kouka, or else, they might lose not only one or two villages, but half of Kouka.

And as much as Zeno wanted to help, he knew Soo-Won was right. "Yeah. We'll need to run then."

* * *

 **PRESENT**

* * *

Hak was sitting on the porch. Night had fallen fast upon the land. No more than three hours ago the sky was painted with hues of red, orange and pink, but all colour had faded leaving only a matt black canvas with no stars to be looked upon.

Other than the darkness and himself all that seemed to exist was the chilly wind that's harsh bite could be felt through his coat. The flames of the torch may have looked as though they burned warm, but their heat did not reach his skin.

Whenever he was alone, his mind always wandered to one person, Yona. For him, she was an enigma.

She was _**different**_ , different from whom he used to, different from whom he admired, different from the one he loved so much. The one standing there was someone that he knew yet at the same time felt like a stranger and that hurt the most.

Because he couldn't see her sunny face, couldn't see her beautiful smiles, and couldn't see her happy…

She used to be like a sun that shines brightly in the sky, melting the coldness in people's heart…

She used to be like a flower that blooms throughout the year, no matter what season it is…

But now…

She was like a moon that shone dimly at the night sky, alone, without any care at the world…

She was like dark cloud that drifted freely in the sky, without anything to bind it, ready to pour the cold rain to the earth…

She became someone who was not only unreachable, but also someone who didn't want to be reaches.

And he… didn't know how to reach her.

Honestly, he wasn't even sure why he still having this 'love' thing. The Yona that he loved was those from his dreams, something not real. For all he knew, it might have been a fragment of his imagination. And yet, he still cling on the hope for meeting and finding that Yona.

Why he could fell in love with someone from his dream, he wondered. But no amount of thinking could give him an answer. The dream felt too real for it to be a mere dream. But maybe it was only a dream after all? Because none of what he had dreamed before really happened in reality. In fact, the dream differed too much from the reality he currently living in. Perhaps he was worrying too much. But when he thought back to Yona's current state, somehow he felt that he was too lax.

He stared at the moon up above. "Yona… when are you going to wake up and show the world that troublesome deadpanned face of yours?" he muttered. ' _You are making every single soul crying in the silent…'_

* * *

"Kid, it's bedtime."

Hak didn't even turn around to know who called him. "Ah." He nodded slightly but still stayed on his seat. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Mundok took a seat beside him.

"What are you thinking about?" Mundok asked gently.

Honestly, Hak didn't know what to say. Too many things occupy his head, he didn't which to share. But there was one urgent thing. "Soo-Won started to get _them_ too…" he told Mundok. Both of them knew what it's about, and that was those dream that Hak had gotten around a year ago. He wondered if they had the dreams or not, but the important part here was that Soo-Won also _got_ them. It means that other than Hak, others also had the chance to get those dreams. And maybe Yona also had them.

Mundok only hummed. "Hmm? Is that so?" he eyed Hak from the corner of his eyes. "And? Is there a problem with that?" he asked.

"A lot." Hak answered bluntly.

"Hn."

Hak sighed as he frowned. "I never did tell you about him, did I?"

Mundok waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, you did, in a passing by."

"Oh well, I didn't exactly have a good impression about him before." True, Hak didn't like Soo-Won at first. It was all because of the dream he had, which made him labelled Soo-Won as a betrayer even before he met Soo-Won. It gradually changed though, as he spent time with Soo-Won. He was willing to give Soo-Won a chance, and in the meantime, preventing his dream to happen.

"Figure so." Mundok nodded.

"I'll tell you, bits by bits. It's a long story." Hak said. This was a story that he had been hesitant to tell before, but he decided to tell Mundok. He trusted Mundok with his life, and honestly, he really needed a second opinion. Having someone back you up wouldn't hurt he guessed.

"Well, the night is still long, long enough for you to cover your whole story." Mundok said calmly.

Hak pondered for a while, choosing his words carefully. "If I can summarize it, I would say Soo-Won is the source of my nightmare."

* * *

 **FUTURE**

* * *

Yona couldn't rest. Her mind kept thinking back on what happened. Something wasn't right, something was different. This wasn't her previous life, she was sure of it. Then what was this? Some kind of alternate universe? Was that even possible?

Well, she used to think time travelling was a sick joke, but look at her. If those few years in the past was not a dream, then she really _did_ time travelled. But then, why she was here? And how? These thoughts were giving her headache.

She got out from her bedding and walked around the room. She was too nervous to sleep; she wanted nothing but to ask someone just what had happened here. She was clueless, and had no information whatsoever, a situation that she wasn't used to.

She stopped in front of bookshelves. She needed information, and she needed it fast. She searched the bookshelves for any book that could help her in this department. That's when her eyes caught something familiar to her. It was her journal, the one that she used to write down her previous life memories.

Her heart suddenly hammered inside as she took a look at that journal. She opened it carefully and true enough, it was what she wrote before. The content was exactly the same as what she wrote. How can this? Was her alternate universe also had the same habit- no; this was a recollection of her past memories. She had only started writing journals when she was thrown back to past. She didn't write journals in her previous life. Maybe she did, but that's for her medical researched, not some kind of daily memories or such.

' _This is strange.'_

She turned the page to the last one and her heart stopped for a while. _'This really is some kind of a sick joke, isn't it?'_

On the last page was written clearly.

* * *

 _ **Summer, xxxx**_

 _ **I've just come back from future. And I lost someone dearly to me.**_

* * *

 **To be continued**

* * *

 **I think this is by far the shortest chapter in this story. ^^;**

 **Okay, so the important announcement is… I'm going to take a short break, around two months. Reasons:**

 **Around mid-January, there is another exam week going on, so I need to focus on bringing my score up. I failed on the last exam, you know… ;A;**

 **At the end of January, it is the Chinese New Year. So, I'll be real busy after my exam week till after CNY. You know, the usual things needed to do to celebrate it.**

 **My finals will start at the mid-February.**

 **Well, that's the announcement. I'll come back around March 2017. Hope you guys don't mind it! ;A;**

 **Btw, thank you for those who had reviewed, follow and favourite this story!**

 **Bookgirl18:  
** Don't worry, things will start to make sense soon, I hope. LOL.

 **Deb.23:  
** Nah, I'm not going to change her timeline over and over. This is like a one-time thing. But true, I've changed the idea over and over again. 'Change' might not be the appropriate word though, since I just change some part of it? LOL.  
I couldn't write the whole story first, simply because I would never find the time to write it. The only reason that my story could be updated is because I kind of give myself a 'deadline'. If I just wait for the whole story to be written first, even in the next 10 years, there wouldn't be any update. ^^;;  
Well, yeah, some part is a filler, but come on… it'll be too boring if there is no filler at all, won't it?

 **Harukatana:  
** Ohohoho, curious, aren't we? But don't worry! Stay tune and you'll get your answer! :D

 **Sousie:  
** Oh, no no! It's Yona's children, not Yoon.

 **Mustang's Inferno:  
** Ahaha… 'Present' is actually more like a filler tho…._.  
Good thing that everything is alright now! I guess you would be able to enjoy New Year with a happy mind! :D

 **Anonymous:  
** Thank you for reading this story! Here is the newest chapter! Hopefully it is to your liking! :D

 **TheAngelofOblivion-DarkMadness:  
** Yes, you get that absolutely right. LOL. They really need strong sake to deal with the troublemaker (Yona), LOL.

 **Ailasca-chan:  
** Oh my, thank you! I'm glad you like it! Don't worry, things will started to make sense later on, I hope. LOL. Thank you for giving my story a chance! :D

 **Rothfyae:  
** Thank you for reading! This is the newest chapter~ Hope it was to your liking! :D

 **Don't forget to review, readers~ Any comment is deeply welcome! :D**

 **Last, but not least, Happy New Year 2017 Everyone! What's your goal next year?**

 **And also, Happy Early Chinese New Year for those who celebrate it~ Hope next year to be a great Rooster year (I've never knew that it was called Rooster instead of Chicken in English, LOL.)~~ :D**

 **See you next year on March 4** **th** **!**

 **Have a nice New Year's Eve!**

 **Ld-G**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello guys~ Long time no see~ XD**

 **First of all, I'd like to apologize for the late update by around a week. If you'd checked My Profile page, then might already knew that there was some issue with this chapter as I'd already put it under A/N. I didn't put an announcement here because I kind of forget about it, sorry! The reason for the lateness is because I need to REWRITE this chapter again because my computer is 'sick' and I cannot get it to operate at all. And I didn't back-up my files! Do you know how panic I was when this happened? I had want to wait till it come out from 'hospital' but it's still there after… two weeks maybe? I didn't count.**

 **So there, my horrible excuse. I'll be frank. This chapter only has around 2K words, because I've forgotten what I wrote back then. I only have a gist of it, to be honest.**

 **For anyone that's still confused about FUTURE and PRESENT: 'Future' is actually the Future of Yona's current life while 'Present' is the time where Yona is in coma (after that assassination attempt.)**

 **Let's move on the story, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: AnY is not mine in any form.**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **FUTURE**

-PART 1-

* * *

It felt like time had stopped.

 _ **I've just come back from future. And I lost someone dear to me.**_

That line didn't make any sense. It's not only confusing, but also giving Yona a sense of horror. The grip on the journal got tighter as her eyes locked in those few words. _'What the hell…'_

She read the same line over and over again, sweats dripping from her head.

 _ **I've just come back from future. And I lost someone dear to me.**_

She couldn't believe her eyes. _'Future? This is future? Did I read it wrong?'_ this all felt like a sick joke. How could she arrive in the future? Last time she checked that she was a human and had no sort of power within herself. She turned the page back to the previous entry and scanned the words written there. She then turned back to the last entry and stared hard at it.

' _No, I'm pretty sure I've written the previous entry. And then the whole assassination happened… and I'm wreck, my body is a mess… So this must be the next one…'_

She gulped, feeling a sudden dryness in her throat. She could felt her stomach flipped in uneasiness.

' _If I read it right, it means that I'm in the future now, but I'll go back to my time again later.'_

Unconsciously, she bit her lips. _'But the date is…'_ she let her eyes roamed to the first line where the date located. As soon as she saw it, her eyes bulged out in shock. _'One year later?!'_

She gaped. All sort of colours were drained from her face. She shook her head in denial. "No, it's a mistake, I'm sure…" her voice shook as she rubbed her eyes repeatedly before looking at the date once more. _'A year in the future?! What had become of my body in the past?! Won't it become so weak that even standing will pose as a problem?!'_

Dread filled her mind at the thought of her predicament. "No no no, this is all a nightmare. Yes, a nightmare. I'm pretty sure that once I wake up, everything will go back to norm." she told herself as she shut the journal and threw it back to its place. She sat down on her bedding in a daze, not quite sure what to do in this kind of situation.

She let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes in despair. "This is a disaster…" she massaged her head in frustration. Those words keep coming back to her.

 _ **I've just come back from future. And I lost someone dear to me.**_

She looked across the window grimly. _'I will lose someone…'_

 _ **And I lost someone dear to me.**_

She chuckled bitterly. _'Isn't this just great? Someone will betray me, abandon me, or die.'_

She narrowed her eyes _. 'Where, I wonder… future… or past?'_

Her eyes travelled back to the bookshelves. _'Nah, based on that journal, it seems it'll happen at the past.'_

Another sigh escaped. She lied down on the bedding, gazing at the ceiling above. All those findings ate up her energy. "Life's sucks." She muttered. Tired, she closed her eyes and welcomed the darkness that soon followed.

* * *

Cold, that's what she felt. It's not uncomfortable though. It's soothing.

She cracked open her eyes, blinked a few times as she took in her surroundings. She could felt someone wiping her head. Remembering her situation, she fought the urge to attack the stranger. She turned a little to the side to see the person. She was greeted with her supposedly son, the mini-Hak one.

The said teen blinked a few times before retracted his hand.

"Kaa-san, how are you?" his tone was calm, his face was properly blank, but still she could see traces of worry and anxiety inside that ruby eyes of his.

She silently thought about her condition. Sore, check. Pain, check. Dizzy, nope. Nausea, check. She blinked. Not too bad, she guessed. At the very least, it wasn't as painful as the night she fought that damn assassin. And she could still stand and walk around, and arguing with old Geun-Tae. It should mean that her body is in an 'okay' condition.

She shrugged. "Well, I have felt worse before." And she didn't elaborate more. Surprisingly, the teen merely gave her a nod, didn't even voice any complain while he simply sat there quietly.

It was awkward. The air was so tense that it could be slice with knife. She didn't know what to say to her supposed 'son', her mind drew blank on it. She did feel a little guilty for running her mouth before, though in her defence, it had never crossed her mind that she would be thrown to the future. She had thought that this is her 'previous' life.

It couldn't be help that he also didn't say anything to her. Was this meant that she needs to be the one who break the ice? She bit down a groan. She was never good at breaking ice. Those things were usually Yoon or Jae-Ha's specialty.

Just as she pondered her choice, the teen beside her cleared his throat. She turned to the teen. He looked hesitate as he parted his lips. "My name is Ryuu; I'm your… oldest son. Currently I'm 18 and I'm one of the Captains in Earths tribe's army."

Huh. That's surprising. He was calm enough to handle this weird situation, unlike her who freak out from information overload. Seems like he is Hak's brat through and through. If not because of those colour of his hair, his hair style, heck, even his body proportion is similar to Hak's. The only difference would be his eyes and the calm atmosphere surrounded his person. _'And he is also a captain. It won't be long before he takes the mantle from the current Earth Tribe General-'_ she stopped her musing abruptly.

"Earth tribe?!" She asked in surprised.

Ryuu nodded in confirmation. Yona looked at him in confusion. "Why?" she asked. Last time she checked she was from Sky Tribe and Hak was from the Wind Tribe. None of them was from Earth Tribe. How come her son served Earth's army? Does this means both her and Hak were once again run away from their home?

Her confusion was greeted with confusion from her son. "Because I was appointed to?" he answered in puzzlement.

Yona shook her head. "No no, I mean, why Earth's? We aren't Earth tribe's citizen, much less soldier." She clarified.

Her son gave her a stump look. "Kaa-san… we live in Earth tribe." He paused, then continued in hesitation, "And you are the tribe's current general."

Had she not lying on her bed, her jaw would have been dropped to the floor. _'The heck?!'_ she looked dumbfounded. How in seven hell could that happened?! She slapped her head in annoyance. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to die from information overload." She grumbled.

She put her arm over her eyes. "Who in the right mind chose me to become a general?" she complained out loud.

She could hear a soft laugh. "I believe it was Uncle Geun-Tae." Her son answered her in amusement.

She looked back at him, scowling. "Of course. He is the only crazy person that I could think of."

Somewhere else, Geun-Tae sneezed. "Strange. I haven't caught a cold in a decade. How could I catch one now?"

* * *

A loud BANG was heard from inside a room. There were three men inside – Geun-Tae, Yoon, and Tae-Woo – each sitting around a small table in the middle of the room. "Something is definitely wrong with her, Geun-Tae! I just know it." Yoon said in frustration. His hand formed in a fist, his knuckles gone white.

Geun-Tae only raised an eyebrow. "Then? What do you expect me to do? What can I do?" he poured himself another cup of sake.

His lack of care fuelled Yoon's anger even more. "I couldn't believe it. She forgot about me? About her son? About her own husband? Hell!"

Tae-Woo, who was sitting across Geun-Tae, chuckled a little. "Admit it; you are just jealous that she remembers us but not you. And lots of frustration too." He said good-naturedly as he took a sip of his sake. Yoon sent him a glare while Geun-Tae laughed loudly.

Geun-Tae shook his head as he calming himself down. "I don't think that's right, Yoon. She didn't forget. It's more like the things she knew are different with the things we know." He said, waving his hand in a dismissing manner.

Tae-Woo nodded. "Yeah. She recognized me and didn't say anything strange with me."

This was immediately snapped by Yoon. "But she didn't do so with me." He gritted.

Tae-Woo just shrugged. "She recognizes you, or a version of you. In her memory, you'd died. Meaning that you died early in your life, that's why she only know your younger version, not the older one."

Yoon scowled. "She knew Hak had died, but she doesn't know they had gotten married. Is that mean that Hak also died even earlier?" he grunted.

"Most probably."

Yoon's eyebrow twitched. He drank the whole cup of sake in one gulp before slamming the cup down to the table. "And pray tell, from where this so called memory emerges? This is absurd."

This time no one answered him for no one actually knew the answer to that.

It was Geun-Tae who broke the silence. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I think it'll be best to not let her fight on the frontlines for the time being. Not with her messy memories. It'll take away quite a force in our part, but it's still better than explaining things to the others about her condition." He eyed both Yoon and Tae-Woo seriously.

"If they knew, their moral will go down the hill." Tae-Woo remarked.

Yoon nodded in agreement. "true." he let out a sigh. "I suppose I'll… take care of her kids."

"And I'll take care of the paperwork…" Geun-Tae groaned. "And it's only been a decade since the last time I saw paperwork in my table!"

Tae-Woo grinned. "Welcome abroad, my friend, again."

* * *

Zeno and Soo-Won had arrived in one of The Earth's army base to report on their finding. It was when Zeno felt an abrupt shock in his heart. He turned to the east, staring far away. _'This feeling…'_ his face turned grim. Something bad is going to happened, or maybe had happened. He didn't like this feeling at all.

"Zeno-san? Something wrong?" one of the soldier asked him in concern. Zeno blinked as he was brought back to reality.

"Ah, no, it's nothing." He grinned sheepishly. But his thought still lingered on it.

The east was where Ryokuryuu supposed to be. _'Don't tell me…'_ he really got a bad feeling on this. _'Should I move? Should I stay? What should I do?'_

If he went there, he would need to postpone meeting his mistress. The east side is the wind tribe territory, and now that he was already half way to the earth tribe, it meant that he'll need to go backwards again. But if he didn't go, there was no telling what would happen to his fellow dragon. If something happened, he'll never be able to face his mistress anymore.

Making up his mind, he ran to where Soo-Won was sitting. "Mister, come on!" he said, dragging Soo-Won with him.

"Zeno?" Soo-Won sounded puzzled but didn't stop Zeno from dragging him.

The other soldiers startled at the sudden leave. "Zeno-san?" one of them called.

Zeno turned his head to them and smiled. "Ah~ sorry sorry~ Zeno need to catch up with someone! Zeno will leave the rest to you all!" he said before hurrying his steps, leaving the others in surprised.

"Eh- wait, Zeno-san!" the soldier could only see the lingering dust behind Zeno and Soo-Won.

Soo-Won, who was still clueless, tilled his head. "Catch up with who?" he asked between his breath.

Zeno grinned. "Who else if it's not Zeno's brother!" he said in delight, though his grin never reached his eyes.

But Soo-Won, being blind as he is, never knew of that. Instead, he asked another question. "Brother… another dragon is here?"

"…no, but nearby." Not as near as from their previous position to Earth, of course. But Soo-Won doesn't need to know that.

* * *

Ryuu was writing letters on the small table beside Yona's bedding. His dear mother was currently sleeping soundly from fever. Her injuries were quite bad, though it was not the main issue. The biggest problem was the poison in those injuries. The blade that struck her down was coated with poison and that was what hindered her recovery. Yoon had extract as much poison out as he could, and he had even made the antidote, but it's a slow recovery. This was also one of the reasons why her body burned now.

He heard a _creak_ from the door and saw his brother sticking his head inside. Ryuu beckoned him to come in, which was done without hesitation.

"You haven't slept yet, Haru?" Ryuu asked his 10-year-old brother.

Haru took a seat beside Ryuu and shook his head. "I cannot sleep." He said softly as he stared at Yona's sleeping form. "How is kaa-san, nii-san?" he asked, not taking his gaze off of Yona.

Smiling softly, Ryuu patted Haru's head. "Don't worry. Kaa-san is alright, a little problem here and there, but you know Kaa-san. She is one hell of a woman." Ryuu chuckled.

Haru just stared at his brother's fond gaze. One would never thought that such face is possible emerge in his almost always stoic brother. He trusted his brother; Ryuu always knew what's happening. If he said mother is okay, then she is okay.

Haru took a glance on the table. "Are you writing something, nii-san?" he asked as he took a note on those papers on the table. He took one of the written papers and scanned the text. Ryuu chose to continue writing the letters as he explained, "I'm writing for Uncle Joo-Doh. He needs to know that Kaa-san has waked up so he could stop worrying too much."

Haru deadpanned. "Worry? Uncle Joo-Doh? I cannot see the connection." He said.

Ryuu smiled. "Give him more credit, Haru. He has his own way to worry."

He finished writing the letters, taking the one in Haru's hand; he put them all inside a rectangle pouch. He then proceeded to open the window, and whistled. Not a moment later, a hawk came flying and landing on the window sill. He tied the pouch to the Hawk, all the way while talking to the bird. "Bring this to Uncle Joo-Doh, okay? Don't get lost and be safe."

He patted the bird before sending it out. The bird then flew to the sky.

Haru was watching all those interaction blankly as he leaned his head on his hand. "I honestly don't understand why you treat that hawk as if it is a human." He said, deadpanned.

Ryuu turned to look at his younger brother. He tilted his head a little. "Is it wrong to treat my friend like that?" he asked in puzzlement.

Haru sweat dropped. _'Who is the younger one here, I wonder…'_

* * *

 **To be Continue**

* * *

 **I really don't anything to say. Really. Rewriting a whole chapter is taking up lots of energy and it sucks too. This is how much I could actually write in a span of two weeks, give or take a few days, between the activities of my life. So do forgive this stupid author for forgetting to back-up her files.**

 **And I'll give you a heads-up. This 'Future' part will mainly a filler. Don't ask me why I did it because it just came to me one day when I was planning the plot. #sueme. If you somehow don't like fillers, well… sorry.**

 **Thank you for those who had reviewed, follow and favourite this story!**

 **Aoi Tsukinami :  
** OMG! Thank you very much! You are making me blush! /  
Oh, really? Your B-Day? Okay, I'll make a reminder on it and congratulate you on that day this year! XD

 **Siera-Knightwalker:**  
LOL. I never knew that it was called Rooster year. I thought it was Chicken. I was so embarrassed. Sorry for the mistake. DX  
I think we have some kind of miscommunication here. What I meant is that her going to the future will only be a one-time thing. There won't be any jumping time anymore later. (Damn, this is a secret.) That 'last entry' is written by Yona in the 'past', meaning it was written by her younger self (if you understand what I mean.)  
And…! I cannot answer your other question because it will spoil my plot! Please give me some slack, my dear. You are giving me a hard time to answer your questions. I'm crying right now as I'm writing this, you know? ;A;

 **Minako213:**  
I'm so sorry for the lateness! Thank you for sticking with my story! It's okay if you are still confused, there won't be any timeline jumping anymore. This part will only talk about the future, so rest assure. 'Future' is actually the Future of Yona's current life while 'Present' is the time where Yona is in coma (after that assassination attempt.)

 **Kouseishin:**  
I PASSED! I might not get a perfect mark, but I still PASSED! You know the joy passing those horrible finals! I felt like partying 24/7! XD  
Hak is… well, yes, died in that future. And you've get it right on that Future part. But don't worry, I'm not that cruel. I'm a sucker for happy end actually. Mwahahahaha!

 **Thefriendyouhate:**  
well, to make it easy for you, Yona is in a coma, and then her soul kind of fly to the Future. Can you understand it? ;A;

 **Frozen in Idaho:**  
Thank you for sticking to my story! XD there is flaws, I must admit. I was not actually concentrated enough when I write this story. So lots of things are kind of confusing. I'm really sorry!

 **Marie-S-Raven:**  
Thank you for sticking to my story! And also your good-luck wishes! I passed! XD Also, thank you for pointing it out to me. I've changed it in this chapter! XD

 **Her-my-own:**  
Oh my, was that your b-day?! If it is, then I've missed it! I'm so sorry! Thank you for sticking to my story! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

 **Yona0:**  
Thank you for giving this story a chance! You don't know how happy I am! XD  
I also like Yi-An. I might eventually make him a permanent one in this story. XD

 **Don't forget to review, readers~ Any comment is deeply welcome! :D**

 **Oh my, the A/N is almost half as long as the content itself…! #shock**

 **Anyway, see you on April 8** **th** **. Have a nice day!**

 **Ld-G**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, everyone! Long-time no see! Sorry for another late update, again! DX**

 **A/N: If I didn't update on schedule, please check on my profile page. I always give out the latest status concerning my story under the Author Note section, although sometime it might be a few days after the supposed deadline.**

 **Anyway, let's just proceed to the story, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: AnY is not mine in any form.**

* * *

 **Rewritten Fate**

By Ld-G

 **Future Arc**

-PART 2-

* * *

Red, orange and yellow, in various different shades. All of them floating gracefully on the soft breeze. It was as if a friendly hand was gently lowering them to the ground. Whispers between these leaves filled the air, whispers and mutters.

Looking through window, Yona could smell the sweet scene of air which coming inside. The air was cool and crisp, like a refreshing drink of cool water after hours in a desert. The breeze fluttered around, gently caressing everything it touched with fingers that had been a comfort to so many over their long, lonely years.

"It smells like Autumn…" she could feel the autumn breeze running through her veins, caressing her lungs and lay deep inside her heart, filling her with a nostalgic, calm happiness she had no memories to have felt it before.

"Of course, autumn has arrived after all." a gentle voice startled Yona from her musing. She turned her head and saw Geun-Tae putting a stack of paper on the table. Curious, Yona took a peek on those papers and saw pages full of text.

' _Must be paperwork.'_ She threw those papers some distaste look. She wasn't happy in the least to learn that her future self has somehow land herself in the most horrible job in the world, namely the commander of an army. Just the prospect of filling that paperwork every single day makes her dizzy enough.

She lifted her eyebrow as she watched Geun-Tae started reading that paperwork there, _in_ her room. "Mind to tell me why you think it's a good think to work in my room instead of yours?" she took a seat across him.

He shrugged. "Thought it's the best way to finish my work while keeping an eye of you."

Her eyebrow twitched. "You make me sound like a criminal that need constant observation." She scowled.

He smirked. "No, just a bratty little girl who doesn't understand the word 'rest' means. Maybe we really need to ground you for a whole month as a punishment." Amusement was apparent in his voice.

She snorted. "I'm not a little girl, mind you. I'm an adult here, already married and have to sons so to speak. You have no right to order me around, old man." She spoked slowly, no trace of anger in her word. She leaned her head on her hand as she watched Geun-Tae work.

Her mind slowly change course to her predicament. Now that she had come terms with the fact that she's stuck in the future, her best plan is to gather as much information as possible. She had tried to find her other journal, but she found none of them, only one journal that give her the clue of her current predicament and two or three others about medicine and such, Which wasn't all that strange considering she did a lot of research on medicine and mumbo jumbo back in her previous life. Maybe her future-self thought it's a good idea to re-research all those again or maybe her future-self just wanted to pass the knowledge so she wrote it down? Maybe for Yoon?

No, what she found strange was the lack of her other life journal, as if it was purposefully hid from her prying eyes. Why and who, she wondered. Was it her future-self or were it other people?

She glanced at Geun-Tae. Can she ask him though? Does he know about her journal?

She bit her lips. She wanted nothing but to spill her situation to Geun-Tae. By the way Geun-Tae acted around her, it seems like they were both at least as close as she and the Geun-Tae in her previous life. Geun-Tae is one of the few people that she could trust, along with Lily and Tae-Woo. Problem is, she didn't know when is the right time to tell.

' _First thing first. I need to know what happened in the future. I'll just spill afterwards.'_

She stared at Geun-Tae and opened her mouth. "Geun-Tae. Do me a favour, will you?" she said slowly. Geun-Tae didn't spare her any glance as he answered her, "What?"

"Tell me just what the heck has going on here."

"Nah. You'll remember it eventually." His eyes still scanned that paperwork.

Yona pouted. "I need to know." She demanded. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "What you need is rest."

Not one to lose an argument, Yona continued. "I'm so going to make you spill, even if it means abusing my position and power." She grumbled.

At last, Geun-Tae looked at Yona. He blinked a few times before narrowed his eyes. "So you **do** remember."

"My dear son told me." Yona flushed a little, she turned her head to the side, not wanting to meet his gaze. This was replied with a deep sigh. "Figures."

She jerked her head back and looked at Geun-Tae. There was disappointment in his voice, or so she thought. But Geun-Tae just wore that lazy expression of his. Did her ears playing tricks with her?

She mentally shook her head. Maybe it's just her imagination. "Now, tell me Geun-Tae." She said once again.

Geun-Tae just smirked. He scratched his chin in contemplation. "Oh well, since you know about your position, then those monsters of paperwork can be dump back to you."

Yona scowled. "Geun-Tae, don't just change the subject!"

Both of them stared at each other in silent. Finally, Geun-Tae relented. "Alright. Don't blame me if you get even more headache."

Yona nodded. "Don't leave anything out." She reminded. She had a feeling that he will hide something from her, from how reluctant he was in telling her about the situation here. Something bad must have happened in the course of her life. Well, it was mention in her journal after all.

She saw emotions flickered in a lightning speed in those eyes of his, too quick for her to name any of those. "Is that a command?" he asked softly.

Her heart bumped loudly. She knew that tone. It was a really deep sadness, the tone that the previous Geun-Tae always uses whenever he talked about his late wife. Did he lose his wife again in this life?

She pursed her lips. "…no. it's a request." She murmured. If Geun-Tae is any less of a warrior, he wouldn't even hear it.

It was a tense silence. You can even hear a pin dropped.

A small sigh from Geun-Tae broke the silence. "Later. I'll tell you later."

All the way, Yona just prayed that she did the right thing and hope that she will not regret her decision in asking.

* * *

A clatter of sounds was coming from the kitchen. The source was from Yoon's cooking. Not far from him, Ryuu and Haru were sitting in the dining table with Ryuu drinking his tea and Haru eating some sweets.

Haru glanced at Yoon's tense back as he ate. "Uncle Yoon, Stop pouting." He mumbled as he chewed the food.

A loud _crack_ was heard. With a flash, Yoon turned around. With the kitchen knife in one hand, he sent a death glare toward Haru. "I **did not** pout!" he growled loudly. His entire being looks like a demon waiting for its prey.

Haru gulped, startled by Yoon's loud voice. He almost choked, thought his food managed to pass the right passage. He scowled as he pointed a finger to Yoon. "Yes, you did. You are so childish, Uncle Yoon." He sticked his tongue out, which make Yoon's vein popped.

"I don't want to hear it from an actual brat."

"Then don't be so childish. It wasn't Kaa-san's fault that all of this happened." Haru took another bite of his sweets. Sulking or not, his Uncle Yoon's food is the best food that he had ever eaten, the ones bestowed by the gods from the heaven to humans.

Yoon threw him a disgusted look. "This coming from a brat who bawled his eyes out few days ago?" he remarked.

Hearing that, Haru blushed in embarrassment. "S-Shut up!" in embarrassment, his voice came out louder than he intended to.

Ryuu, who watched from the sideline, found the scene really funny. He chuckled as he looked at Haru's red face. Haru threw him a betrayed look. "Not you too, Nii-san! Stop laughing at me!"

Ryuu smiled. "I did not laugh. I was merely enjoying the show." Haru pouted indignantly while averting his gaze. He laid his head on the table and let a groan out. "I want to drink sake… I cannot wait for the time I can finally taste the holy sake."

Ryuu chuckled wryly. "It'll be another eight years or so for you to be allowed to hold even a cup of sake. You're only ten."

Haru turned his head toward Ryuu and gaped in disbelief. "I'm already thirteen! Going to be fourteen in a few months!" he protested.

Ryuu only blinked blankly. "Ah." He averted his gaze, avoiding Haru's heated gaze as Haru pointing a finger accusingly. "Y-you forget your own brother's age?!" the young teen asked in disbelief.

Ryuu blushed and quickly cleared his throat. "Won't you visit Kaa-san? While she is still awake, that is." He internally grimaced at his obvious change of subject.

There is no doubt that his brother noticed that, but Haru just lets him be. It's no use to stay on that topic when the other one clearly doesn't want to and he also doesn't want to make his brother felt uncomfortable more than he already had.

"Maybe later." He answered sulkily.

Yoon come with another plate of sweets. "Are you going to front line soon?" he asked Ryuu as he took a seat.

Ryuu shook his head. "I don't think so. With Kaa-san like that, I don't think Uncle Geun-Tae will dispatch us unless it's urgent."

Haru looked down solemnly. "Ahh… I want to grow quickly and then I'll be able to join you in the battlefield…" he mumbled.

Ryuu freeze. His knuckles were white as he gripped his cup of tea. His entire expression was blank, without any trace of emotion and yet inside, his emotion was in turmoil. This was not gone unnoticed by Yoon.

"You sure you'll be able to handle a sword? It might be too heavy for you, Haru." To sooth the situation, Yoon made out a small joke. Haru puffed his cheek out and gave Yoon an annoyed look.

Ryuu relaxed a little, before poked Haru's cheek. "Silly Otouto." He let out a shaky smile.

But the so oblivious Haru didn't notice it. He turned his head to the sideway, away from Ryuu's hand. "H-hey! Stop it, Nii-san!" he complained.

Ryuu let a chuckle out. "I'll take my leave then, Uncle Yoon. Don't make trouble, Haru." He said, giving a meaningful gaze toward Yoon, before stroke Haru's hair, making his already curly hair gets even messier than before. "Hey!" he yelped.

He pouted as he saw Ryuu walked out laughing. "Just wait and see! I'm so going to be so strong that everyone will be awed for my strength!" he proclaimed.

Yoon snorted. "Right, strong boy. Come and clean the plate." He said as he took the dishes back, getting a whole lot of complained from the said teen.

Hearing his brother's complains, Ryuu chuckled. His smile quickly fell down as he remembered Haru's word.

" _I want to grow quickly and then I'll be able to join you in the battlefield…"_

He had never felt so scared before that moment. He didn't want to let Haru out, didn't want to show the horror of war battle. It's horrible enough for Haru to grow up in a war time; he didn't need to be given another cruel task like fighting in the frontline. Because Ryuu himself had been growing up in a war time, and he had known the terror of watching his comrades died. He tried his best to never let Haru experienced that feeling. But Haru had grown, he had been thirteen. If the war doesn't stop soon, in a few more years Haru will be forced to join the war.

He let out a heavy sigh. If only Haru was born as a girl, he wouldn't need to be this worried. A girl won't be joining the war, his mother and some other girls are exception of course.

But he also knew that he couldn't hide and shield Haru forever. Haru is a boy, who one day will become a family head. He needs to be strong to be able to protect his own family later. That cannot be achieved if he was shielded forever.

And he understood Haru completely. It felt horrible to be waiting for the people who join the frontline to be back home when all you can do is waiting and praying. He had gone through that phase, when he could do nothing but waiting for his parent to come back home, safe and sound. At that time, he was also filled with the desire to quickly grow so that he could join the war. What Haru is going through, what he felt, Ryuu understood it all.

That doesn't mean he liked the idea of exposing Haru to war zone. Haru is his baby brother, despite the fact that Haru is already thirteen.

He clenched his fist. His throat felt dry.

"I'm such a selfish brother…"

* * *

Geun-Tae and Yona walked out from Yona's room. They came face to face with Tae-Woo who was standing in front of the door. Tae-Woo grinned as he greeted the other two. "Yo!"

Yona lift one of her eyebrow in puzzlement. "Why are you standing there?"

"I was going to check on you, but when I wanted to open the door, you'd come out from the other side." Tae-Woo replied with a shrug. "Are you going somewhere, Yona?" he asked.

"I'm going to get some fresh air. The room is too stuffy. Staying there any longer will drive me nuts. Later." She replied before walking away. Geun-Tae and Tae-Woo just looked at her retreating back. "You're not going to chase her?" Tae-Woo asked.

"Nah. She could handle it herself. It's better for her to know her way around as quickly as possible." Geun-Tae said as he walked to the opposite direction with Tae-Woo trailed after him.

"So, are you really going to tell her this soon?" Tae-Woo began. Geun-Tae shot him an amused gaze from the corner of his eyes. "Eavesdropping, eh?"

Tae-Woo didn't look the least guilty about that though. He grinned widely, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Geun-Tae shrugged. "Well, if I were her, I would also be so frustrated by the lack of knowledge."

Tae-Woo nodded in agreement. "It's not that I don't agree with you." he mumbled, all the way keep frowning.

"You are afraid of how she would take it, I guess? I think it'll be alright." Geun-Tae scratched his short beard. "She didn't recall having sons, or even married. Isn't it meant she had even worse memory?" he said.

"It is one way to see it."

Geun-Tae narrowed his eyes. He looked at Tae-Woo's solemn expression from the corner of his eyes. "I smell a ' **but'** there."

Tae-Woo drew his lips into a line. "I want to know where those memories of hers come from. It's really strange, you know."

"You want to make her spill first?"

Tae-Woo sighed. He tilted his head as he searched for words. "I just thought that maybe that's not Yona?"

Geun-Tae stopped on his track and stared blankly at him. "You mean a spy? In front of our eyes? Right under our nose?" he asked in incredulity.

"It sounds ridiculous, I know. But can you blame me for getting paranoid? We're in the verge of losing here. We have no king and our force has been cut down by 40% these passed decades. If our enemy heard this news, we'll be a goner." Tae-Woo adamantly said.

Geun-Tae shook his head in disbelief. "I saw her fight there with my own eyes, and we've been nursing her since then. There shouldn't be any chance for anyone to disguise as her." he pointed out.

Tae-Woo still looked unconvinced but he knew he had no proof for his speculation. "alright." he begrudgingly back down from the argument.

Geun-Tae patted his shoulder. "I understand how you feel." He said. He really cannot blame Tae-Woo for thinking negatively. Their situation was really dire that they need to keep their guard up even in their own territory. If he didn't witness Yona's fall with his own eyes, he would probably had the same suspicion.

"We really need a king. We cannot go on and hide the fact we have no leader forever. At least, a symbolic one if not a true leader." Tae-Woo grumbled in frustration.

Geun-Tae stared up to the ceiling. "Had this been any other time, I'd have recommend Yona." He murmured.

Tae-Woo snorted. "She would chew your head out. We both know she dislike that hot-seat as she called it."

Geun-Tae laughed with a single bark. "But she had been dumped with all those jobs coming from that so called hot-seat without actually sitting on it. How ironic." He said between his laugh. Tae-Woo also snickered.

Trying to calm himself, Geun-Tae took a few deep breaths. "We'll… talk about this with the others. See if they have any objection." He said afterwards. Tae-Woo nodded.

"Sure. Whatever you like."

Their conversation was cut by the sound of footsteps coming out from the corner. In a flash, both of them draw their weapon out in defence, only to come face to face with a confused Ryuu. He tilted his head in a wonder, not quite sure what to make out of the situation.

Both Geun-Tae and Tae-Woo sighed in relieve. Tae-Woo gave him a guilty smile. "Sorry, you kind of surprised us." He said as he took back his weapon. But then, he suddenly got a realization.

"Ah, you heard that?"

Ryuu nodded in confirmation. "Both of you didn't actually be so secretive about it."

Tae-Woo had gone pale. He knew Ryuu was really protective of his family and had some kind of complicated family complex personality. Not to mention, he was Hak's son through and through. Tae-Woo remembered the one time someone bad mouthed his wife, Hak made sure that person didn't get to sunlight ever again. He really didn't wish to end up with the same fate as that person.

He looked timidly to Ryuu. "Uuhh… you know…" he stopped, as he was lost of words. What could he said to defend himself anyway? He is guilty regardless whatever his reason is.

Ryuu pitied him a little as he saw Tae-Woo struggled to find words to say. "I understand your suspicion. I don't fault you for that. It is necessary for someone to play that role, otherwise we'll come out as a too naïve community." He said calmly.

Sure he was not happy with how doubtful Tae-Woo is toward his mother, but he knew it wasn't something that could be prevented. People always doubt something or someone whenever they act unusually. It's the law of this universe. And he had come to accept it in an early age.

Tae-Woo blinked and looked at Ryuu strangely. "Your way of thinking has always amazed me, Ryuu."

Geun-Tae just silently watching the drama unfolded with amusement. Unlike Tae-Woo, he knew that Ryuu won't do anything in a sheer emotion. He knew Ryuu's personality inside and out, being the one who watch him grew since he was still inside his mother's. Tae-Woo often come here, but he didn't live under the same roof. That's why he only knew a glimpse of Ryuu's true characteristic.

"And how is your opinion on this?" Geun-Tae asked. Call it curiosity, he could help but want to ask, maybe teased the young man if the situation could afford to.

Again, Ryuu tilted his head in wonder. "Do you mean about whether Kaa-san is a spy or not?" he asked. Seeing Geun-Tae nodded, he continued. "Honestly, I think she is alright. Though, considering my position as her child, I might come out as biased."

Right after he said that, they noticed a few maids walked down the hallway. The maids gave the three of them a bow before walking away.

"This is not the right place to discuss this. Let's postpone it." Tae-Woo whispered which was replied by Ryuu's blank gaze, as if saying _'I told you so'_. Geun-Tae chuckled dryly. "There are too many prying eyes here."

* * *

Yona walked through the garden of Chi 'Shin Palace. It had been such a long time since the last time she strolled in this exact garden. _'How long has it been? A decade or so? Four years in the past and a few years before that?'_

It was exactly like what she remembered it used to be. The bonsai trees lined the perfect lawn in their wooden boxes. In the centre there was a pond as large as a small lake with flowering lily pads and a wooden bridge that crossed the middle so you could look down at the koi carp. The flower beds were a riot of colour and even on close inspection they were weed-free. It is a small formal garden in the back side of Chi 'Shin Palace, built in the name of love for Yun-Ho not long after she passed away.

Geun-Tae had said that Yun-Ho liked flowers and nature, had always asked Geun-Tae to join her in growing them. But he never had the time to do that and never joined her as well, something that he regretted the most. It was when he had lost her forever that he stepped inside the neglected garden. Years of war took away his wife's time to attend that garden properly, leaving it almost died. It was then he took it as his own mission to rebuild it and took care of it.

She gazed across the wind-ruffed surface to the lily pads in bloom, their white or magenta petals catching the breeze. She inhaled slowly. Peace. Her little piece of heaven in this chaotic world.

Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath of dewy air, listening to the chirping birds here and there. It felt like nothing has gone wrong, there was no war, no fighting, no dying, no worries, that everything is peaceful, everything is alright.

As she enjoyed the rare peace, a loud chatter came to her hearing. She opened her eyes and spotted a few soldiers walking at the hallway. It seems like they noticed her looking, because one of them suddenly said something to the others and all of them quickly strode toward her.

"General Yona!" one of them exclaimed. "Yona-sama! You're alright!" the other one continued. They all spoke one after another; some of them were spotting with a few tears though some other was crying without shame. The occurrence pretty much overwhelmed her.

' _I don't… know any of them…'_ Yona mentally frown. She really didn't know any of their face, not in the slightest. She had never once made a note on those soldiers that she had come across to. She didn't feel the need to have any bond with them, ending up with her not knowing any of them. Not to mention, they were rarely come across each other. She only needs to know which one is the captain or the commander. She could care less about the rest of them. That was what she thought. But it looked like that mindset had come back bitting her.

She bit her lips. _'I shouldn't make a commotion.'_

She cleared her throat. "I'm still alive and kicking, no need for those tears. I'm not old enough to die yet." She calmly said, even to the extent of giving out a small smile, albeit forcedly. She was never a good actress after all.

Those soldiers cried even louder, making Yona grew panic. _'What on earth should I do here?!'_ if she was a bystander, she might found all of this really comical. However, that's not the case here.

"Hey, hey… stop it… geez… you all are such a cry-baby." She grumbled. She had never found herself in this kind of situation, and she was honestly in a loss of what to do.

There is nothing that she could do to calm the situation. She grew annoyed and pissed. A tick mark appeared on his head. "You brats! If you have time to play around, you have time to train!" she yelled as she kicked their ass away from her. They weren't offended in the least. They were even laughing out loud as they ran away from her.

Yona shook her head, exasperated. "What a brat." she grumbled.

A little far from her place, Ryuu stood behind a pillar, watching all the exchange with a small smile.

"Yep. She is alright."

* * *

They were near; Zeno could felt it in his blood. He could already see the fight not far from their place. He come to big tree and halted, causing Soo-Won to stop as well. "Wait here, Mister." He told him. Soo-Won gave him a small nod in understanding.

Zeno ran as quickly as possible to where the commotion happened. He arrived right at the moment the enemy swung down his sword, slashing down Zeno's body. _'Damn, it hurts.'_ He grimaced. He held himself to avoid falling down, blood has poured out from the wound like a flowing river.

"Zeno-san…!" He could hear a loud calling from behind and knew who it was immediately. He turned his head and grinned at the green-haired lad as his wound closed up on its own. "Sorry, Zeno is a little bit late, Ryokuryuu!" he said apologetically.

The young teen shook his head. He stood up, albeit a bit shakily, and walked to Zeno's side. He wore a matching grin as Zeno's. "No, you're not late Zeno-san. You are on time."

* * *

"They are coming…!" A loud shout was heard between the loud sound marching feet.

A woman clad in armour turned to the old man who was reading some letters beside her. "That's your cue then. Get your ass of that floor, now." She said, turning to her big axe and began sharpening again. The old white-haired man, clad in different armour scowled at her. "You and your mouth…" he grumbled.

She waved her hand dismissingly. "Hush. My mouth doesn't need your harsh comment, Joo-Doh."

Joo-Doh scowled even deeper. He gave the letter to the woman, silently indicating for her to keep it save for him. He stood up and took his swords before turning to the woman. "You'd better do your job properly, Lily." He reminded her which was replied with a scoff from her.

"That should be my line. Now go, before I kick your ass myself." She made a shooing sign with her hand. Joo-Doh shook his head, exasperate.

"I'm off then." he said, striding to the front of the awaiting front line soldiers and ride on his horse. A few yell of courage and commands, the army was off to another battle ahead of them. The rest of them, the defence unit of army, could only watched on their retreating back with a silent prayer. Lily was not an exception.

She stopped sharpening her weapon and stared hard at her retreating comrades. "Come back in one piece, all of you."

The wind blew hard, as if carrying each one of their plea of safety.

* * *

 **To be continued**

* * *

 **Have you guys read the last few chapters of AnY? Min-Soo is alive, damn it! I'm so screwed. I actually had forgotten about him, I didn't even know that he was at the same age as Yona! I thought that he was an insignificant character; you know the one that only appear in the first few chapters and then disappear forever. It felt like Kusanagi-sensei just somehow lack of a new character to use, so she digs some old character that's still usable and saveable by plot. Damn it! Screw canon! I'm so not going to stay canon anymore! Brace yourself, readers!**

 **Ah, sorry for the long rant. Anyway, please review, readers. Any comment is appreciated!**

 **Thank you for those who had reviewed, favourite and follow this story!**

 **Harukatana :** Thank you for reading the chapter! Hope you find this chapter enjoyable as well! Sorry for the late update! Don't worry, Joo-Doh will make some more appearances soon! :D

 **Siera-Knightwalker :** Oh well, she will get back to the past of course, as it already been hinted in the a few previous chapters. I actually planned for a short arc, around four chapters or so, but seems like it would get longer as nothing has yet to happen. And Yona is… well, a confused woman in a strange time. I mean, how would you act when suddenly someone said you had sons when you know for sure that you don't have one? When I imagined myself in Yona's shoes, I honestly think I would freak out. She was all _alone_ in her previous life, minus the few comrades she had, all the way till her death after , this was how I thought she would act. It's hard to stay in character, and I'm kind of afraid that I've failed in doing so. ;A;

 **Marianmerza :** Thank you for reading my story! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well! :D

 **Aoi Tsukinami :** You are welcome, dear! :D Hope you enjoy this update!

 **Minako213 :** Aww, you're so sweet! Thank you so much! Yona in the previous life lost Hak in early age, but in this future time, both of them manage to get married and have two sons before Hak died. Sorry for the late update! If you want to know about the update status, go to my profile page, I always make a notice under the Author Note section.

 **ZYC10 :** Thank you for reading this story! Don't worry; Yona will eventually go back, as already hinted in the early chapter. :D

 **Marie-S-Raven :** Thank you for reading this story! Your support felt like heaven to me! :D

 **ZabuzasGirl :** Thank you for reading this story! Here is the newest update! Hope you find it enjoyable as well! :D

 **Okay, it's time for me to sign out~ See you next time on May 20** **th** **or 21th.**

 **Have a nice day~**

 **Ld-G**


	13. Announcement

**ANNOUNCEMENT**

* * *

This story will go on hiatus until next year (2018). I'm working on my thesis and due to that, I'm unable to spare any time for writing. I'll come back after I graduate which is next year ( around May ) if I can graduate on time. It could be earlier or later than scheduled though, depends on whether I'm lucky or not.

Another news is, my co-writer is also unable to continue the wattpad version for the same reason (although she hasn't updated in almost a year since she has a crazy amount of workload) and she has asked my help on handling that. so, it will go on hiatus as well.

So, I apologize for this bad news for you, readers. But I promise I'll come back next year.

Thank you for your attention.

 **P.S.:** This page will be replaced with the newest update later, so check this page out on that time. There might not be any alert for a replaced chapter. Thank you.

Have a nice day,

Ld-G


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